The Executive Yuan is hosting a three-day Science and Technology Advisory Board Meeting at the International Convention Center of Hua Nan Bank (HNBK) starting today (December 13, 2023), all to be conducted in closed-door sessions. On the first day, discussions will focus on the topic of “Semiconductor × AI”, fol-lowed by “Net-Zero Technology” on the next day. The meeting will conclude with a summary and recommendations from science and technology advisors. The sci-ence and technology advisors invited to this meeting include Dr. James C. Liao, the President of Academia Sinica, serving as the Chief Advisor, and seven other leaders in domestic and international industry and research domains: Prof. Wen-Chang Chen, President of National Taiwan University, Dr. Mark Liu, Chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Mr. Ming-Kai Tsai, Chairman of MediaTek, Prof. Chi-Huey Wong, Scripps Family Chair Professor at the Scripps Re-search Institute in the US, Prof. Hsiang-Tsung Kung, the William H. Gates professor of computer science at Harvard University in the US, Prof. Ehud Keinan, Elected President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and Prof. Robert Schlögl, President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. These glob-al heavyweight advisors will be collaboratively contributing to the planning of the national science and technology deployment.

President Ing-Wen Tsai attended the Science and Technology Advisory Board Meeting, emphasizing that we are now in an era where science and technology have become synonymous with national strength on a global scale. Taiwan has risen to become a key player on the global stage in science and technology. In ad-dition, she highlighted that the Executive Yuan’s Science and Technology Advisory Board Meeting is the highest-level advisory session for shaping Taiwan's science and technology strategy. In 2006, President Tsai attended the Science and Tech-nology Advisory Board Meeting while serving as the Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan. She expressed appreciation for the insights provided by science and tech-nology advisors, which laid the foundation for the development of Taiwan’s semi-conductor and biotechnology industries, ultimately creating the world-class in-dustries present in Taiwan today. Currently, Taiwan already has a complete semi-conductor ecosystem and advanced 2 nanometer manufacturing process. In the next decade, the ‘Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program’ will invest 300 billion NT dollars, and the government will combine AI for breakthrough inno-vations to continue assisting in semiconductor industry R&D and talent cultivation. Regarding to the Net-Zero Technology, the government will harness the strengths of industry, academia, research, and private organizations, empowering Taiwan to become a paradigm in net-zero technology. President Tsai hoped that through communications with international science and technology advisors, Taiwan can chart the future development directions.

“Semiconductor × AI” and “Net-Zero Technology” are not only among the most dynamically evolving areas in international research recently but also consti-tute part of the most crucial strategic frameworks of science and technology in Taiwan. The convener of Science and Technology Advisory Board Meeting, Dr. Chien-jen Chen, Premier of the Executive Yuan, highlighted the collaborative ef-forts of the government and non-government sectors in advancing the 'Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program' since 2017. This year, Taiwan achieved the 6th position in the World Competitiveness Ranking 2023 by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD). Notably, Taiwan secured the 5th position in scientific development and the 8th in techno-logical development. Furthermore, Taiwan has consistently ranked first globally in R&D personnel per thousand people for three consecutive years. In the 2022 OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Taiwan excelled, ranking 3rd in middle school students' mathematical literacy and 4th in science lit-eracy. Looking ahead, Taiwan's technology budget for the next year will reach 150 billion NT dollars, marking an 18% growth. This substantial investment aims to propel Taiwan further on the path of sustainable development. The insights gained from this meeting are anticipated to serve as crucial references for future policy-making, contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of Taiwan's competi-tiveness.

Taiwan’s science and technology R&D and industrial strength have garnered global attention. Through harnessing science and technology resilience, Taiwan enhances industry ‘innovation’, deepens societal ‘inclusiveness’, and strengthens environmental ‘sustainability’. The current Science and Technology Advisory Board Meeting is positioned as Taiwan’s highest-level strategic meeting for science and technology development. It has targeted two major topics, “Semiconductor × AI” and “Net-Zero Technology”. These topics have comprehensive impacts on Tai-wan’s future industrial economy, international collaboration, and societal envi-ronment. Taiwan’s long-term science and technology strategies discussed in the meeting will depict the direction of science and technology development of Tai-wan for the next decade.