Taipei, Taiwan—March 25, 2019—The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and British Office Taipei today hosted
an event to recognise the first successful year of the UK-Taiwan Innovative
Industries Programme (UKTW I2P), which was launched in March 2018 to
promote UK-Taiwan science research bilateral cooperation activities.
UKTW I2P is the
first UK government-funded programme of this kind, aiming to strengthen
UK-Taiwan collaboration in key areas such as biotechnology, AI, robotics, clean
energy, and autonomous vehicles. In the first year, the majority of the funding
– £200,000 (NT
$8 million) – was allocated to support Taiwanese researchers
to conduct research at UK universities and R&D institutes, with additional
funding for sector analysis and bilateral visits.
Administrated
by ITRI, the programme for the first year has successfully attracted a total of
eleven Taiwanese researchers, six of them from universities and five from
the R&D institutes, including National Cheng Kung University, National
Central University, National Chiayi University, National Sun Yat-sen
University, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, and ITRI.
“Over
the last year the UK-Taiwan Innovative Industries Programme has created a
step-change in the collaboration between British and Taiwanese researchers.
Eleven talented Taiwanese researchers undertook joint research at British
institutions. The projects they initiated have significant potential across a
wide range of areas, from medical devices to digital economy & advanced
manufacturing. We expect these projects to benefit innovation in both the UK
and Taiwan, and to create links that will last for many years to come. We are
very grateful to ITRI for their professional and enthusiastic support in the
delivery of this programme,”said Catherine Nettleton, Representative of British
Office Taipei.
As a
key delivery partner of UKTW I2P, ITRI has been working closely with
the British Office Taipei to foster a deeper science and research connection
between Taiwan and the UK. Dr. Pei-Zen Chang, ITRI’s Executive Vice President,
stated that UKTW I2P provided a great opportunity to enhance UK-Taiwan
scientific partnerships, and that many potentially beneficial research topics had
already been identified since the launch of the programme. In the future, he
said, ITRI would devote even more efforts to paving the way for new topics and
cultivating further the existing collaborative projects.
ITRI researcher Jih-Yang Chang, who participated in UKTW I2P,
shared his experience of conducting research and work exchange in the UK.
“Through this project, I collaborated with the British AIE Rotor Engine Company
to integrate a rotary engine into the hybrid electric power system of an
ITRI-developed UAV to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency. The end result
of this joint effort was phenomenal, and we were able to achieve the project’s
goal successfully!” Chang also visited Sheffield
University and Imperial College London to make some great connections with
their network of high payload and high duration commercial drone technology. He
indicated that during his stay in the UK, he was impressed with the
professionalism of the British research teams and glad to exchange valuable
ideas with each other.
Another researcher Shih-Chun Lin,
who is from the Department of Nursing at National Cheng Kung University, also
shared her experience with the programme. “UKTW I2P provided me with
a meaningful platform to examine pediatric palliative care from different
cultural perspectives and health care policies. Through my visits to ten
British pediatric care organizations and talking with various specialists, I
was able to share my views with the British pediatric hospice care
professionals on the culturally-sensitive end-of-life care for families with
Chinese-ethnic background while gaining valuable insights to input more
international standpoints on Taiwan’s pediatric hospice research and education,”
Lin said.
For more
information about UK-Taiwan Innovative Industries Programme (UKTW I2P), please
visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/379163.zh-tw