The 2024 Taiwan Presidential Hackathon was officially launched July 9 in Taipei City, with the organizers calling on creatives from around the world to submit innovative ideas addressing major public issues and offering new governance methods.
During the launch ceremony, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun praised the initiative for introducing fresh solutions to Taiwan. Through public and private sector cooperation, the event brings data owners, scientists and experts together to map out innovative approaches to optimizing public services, promoting new governance and tackling social challenges, she said.
According to Cheng, as Taiwan is set to become a super-aged society in 2025, this year’s hackathon focuses on major healthcare issues to promote sustainable health for all, with this seventh edition of the event implemented by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The event theme is in line with two policy goals noted in President Lai Ching-te’s National Project of Hope unveiled in the May 2024 inauguration speech; the first of fostering an innovative economy to promote a smart Taiwan, and the second of expanding medical investment to build a healthy country, she added.
The event also features an International Track, which is in its sixth edition this year and is themed “Digital and Green: Next-Generation Public Infrastructure.” It echoes the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and encourages data application solutions to enhance well-being and drive governance innovation.
Launched in 2018 under the auspices of the Presidential Office, the hackathon has solicited over 1,000 creative contributions to date. It helps foster cross-border, interdisciplinary, and public-private collaboration to gather potential societal solutions that satisfy developmental needs for nations worldwide. (SFC-E)
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