President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation from National Resilience Inc., a U.S.-based biotechnology firm, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City Feb. 2, pledging to continue working with the U.S. to increase competitiveness in the field while jointly injecting new momentum into the sector worldwide.
National Resilience, with its extensive international links and abundant experience in mass production, is set to introduce next-generation biotech and pharmaceutical production technologies to Taiwan Bio-Manufacturing Corp., Tsai said. This cooperation will help accelerate the country’s mRNA-based therapeutics capacity to an international standard and advance its emerging biotech and pharmaceutical industrial chain, she added.
The biomedical sector is a main point of government policy focus, Tsai said, citing the five-plus-two innovative industries plan and the six core strategic industries policy. This can also be seen in Taiwan’s emphasis on the advanced production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, and the solid foundation it has laid in areas of automation and smart manufacturing, she said.
TBMC was jointly established in May last year by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry Technology Research Institute, and Development Center for Biotechnology in Taipei. Tsai added that she hopes the introduction of international clients via National Resilience will facilitate TBMC’s operations and raise Taiwan’s profile throughout the global biomedical industry.
The president additionally said that she looks forward to deepening further cooperation in human resources, manufacturing and technology so that Taiwan can be a vital hub for innovative biomanufacturing in Asia.
Building on the five-plus-two innovative industries program, the six core strategic industries plan was unveiled by Tsai at her 2020 inauguration as a key factor in transforming Taiwan into a dynamic force in the global economy. The industries in question are information and digital technology, cybersecurity, biotech and medical technology, national defense, green and renewable energy, and strategic stockpile industries. (YCH-E)
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