MOE touts tertiary institutions biomedical R&D

2015/05/21

Taiwan’s top tertiary education institutions generated intellectual property applications of NT$706 million (US$23.2 million) last year, boosting the local biomedical technology industry and related R&D nationwide.

This praiseworthy progress was largely due to the Ministry of Education’s Aim for the Top University Project. In 2014, participating institutions shared NT$3.58 billion in private-sector funding for 1,759 general and specific patents.

Huang Wen-ling, director of the MOE’s Department of Higher Education, said May 19 that the project has successfully assisted Taiwan’s top universities in transforming research results into business opportunities.

“A total of 2,853 startups have been incubated to date,” Huang said, adding that biomedicine and smart living account for roughly 30 percent each; cultural and creative industries, 20 percent; and green energy, 10 percent.

A standout case is Rephasia, an assistive technology for people suffering from language disorders like aphasia. Developed by Kaohsiung City-based National Sun Yat-sen University, the training tool is accessible on tablet devices, considerably reducing the hassles of rehabilitation.

A portable biometric device for detecting illnesses by National Central University in Taoyuan City is also generating interest, while innovative retina transplant technology from Taipei City-headquartered National Yang Ming University is setting a new milestone in using stem cells to treat macular degeneration.

In addition, a gravity-free dual-posture muscle training device for patients with lower limb paralysis by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei is seen as heralding a new era of assistive device development.

Huang is bullish on the project’s prospects going forward. “The NT$100 billion poured into implementation and establishing 15 biomedical research centers, as well as 19 in other advanced sciences, has laid the foundations for Taiwan to continue leading Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea in this regard,” he said.

Other tertiary institutions participating in the project include National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu City; National Chung Hsing University in Taichung City; National Cheng Chi University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University and Taipei Medical University, all in Taipei; National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City and Chang Gung University in Taoyuan.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=230607&ctNode=413)