The intention of this visit is to enhance Taiwan’s deep-tech/life science startup ecosystem with Bostonian one. After calling on Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), where plenty of government units and public-private-partnership organizations have established offices (e.g. Consulate-General Japan in Boston, Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) in Boston, German Accelerator, Swissnex Boston, Innovation Center Denmark… etc.), the MOST has vowed to have more ties with the ecosystem in great Boston Area.

“Given the thriving development and business opportunities in deep-tech, life science companies and startups in New England area, the MOST has acknowledged the importance and the necessity of the expansion of the bio industries as well as deep-tech startups and thus has established the Science and Technology Division in Boston last December. Apart from innovation and entrepreneurship, to work with prestigious universities and research institutes in S&T areas, such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is our goal as well,” said Minister Chen.

Except visiting the new office in Boston, three major goals of Minister Chen’s visit are entrepreneurship, bilateral academia cooperation, and talents exchanges and incubation.

Regarding entrepreneurship, Minister Chen also visited Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Techstars Boston, CTA in Boston while having a work lunch with Mr. Damon Cox, Assistant Secretary of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Mr. Nam Pham, Assistant Secretary of Business Development. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s strategy is to simultaneously advance scientific and economic development. The Center serves as a catalyst for companies and individuals that intersect at innovation, academic and workforce development, great science, and positive patient outcomes. Massachusetts plays a leading role in commercializing R&D results in the U.S.

Techstars and CTA both work with Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA)’s ecosystem in Taipei. As for Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s role, its job is to facilitate MA’s deep-tech/life science ecosystem by assisting in the circulation of talents, capitals, technologies and markets, and is similar to the MOST’s role.

Concerning bilateral academia cooperation, Minister Chen visits City Science Lab under MIT Media Lab. The MIT Media Lab is a research institute supported by more than 80 members and works on academia-industry collaboration. The City Science Lab’s mission is to take advantage of technologies, such as robotics, smart city, AI, big data and crypto technology, to increase the wellbeing of people who live in big cities. The MOST is devoting its energies to hope to work with the Lab in the future to bring MIT resources to domestic autonomous cars research and industry.

With regard to talents exchanges and incubation, Minister Chen organized a “Talents Development Programs Forum” at TECO in Boston to invite Taiwanese young professionals and students. He not only talked about the Ministry’s leading policies but shared the ongoing inbound and outbound talent exchanges policies, such as LEAP Program, LiFT Program, Thousand Horses Program, Einstein Program, Columbus Program and Dragon Gate Program. He also put emphasis on the talents network that can encourage information sharing and networking building. “Let’s work on the development of S&T while striving for Taiwan’s startups ecosystem together,” said him.