Economy

Taiwan’s ITRI cleans up at R&D 100 Awards

Deputy MOEA Minister Woody T.J. Duh (center) and senior ROC government technology officials give the thumbs-up to Taiwan’s performance at the R&D 100 Awards during a news conference July 3 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Institute for Information Industry)

• Publication Date：07/04/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Meg Chang

Hsinchu-based Industrial Technology Research Institute claimed six top-spot finishes at the prestigious R&D 100 Awards, trailing only Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the U.S., according to the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs July 3.

The state-backed research body’s winning entries encompass categories such as electrical devices, electronic instrumentation, energy technologies, materials sciences, and thin-film and vacuum technologies.

ITRI’s winning inventions include a clamp-on voltage and current meter, which improves power usage management, and lignin-based polymer technology for producing plastic containers free of hazardous chemical compounds as Bisphenol A.

Taipei-headquartered Institute for Information Industry also received an award for its radio-frequency identification technology of metallic objects.

“These awards represent a vote of confidence in ROC government efforts to develop national competitiveness centered on technology and innovation, the major drivers of Taiwan’s industrial development and economic growth,” said Deputy MOEA Minister Woody T.J. Duh.

Various MOEA-sponsored research programs have yielded 1,505 patents at home and abroad in 2011, Duh said, with 1,177 employed by the private sector for commercial applications.

These projects have generated Taiwan private investment of NT$41.4 billion (US$1.39 billion), output of NT$70 billion and over 8,000 job opportunities nationwide, he added.

The awards, organized by U.S.-based R&D Magazine, are presented to the 100 makers of the year’s most technologically significant new products. The latest winners of the so-called Oscars of innovation were selected from over 1,000 entries worldwide. (JSM)

Write to Meg Chang at sfchang@mail.mofa.gov.tw