Biotechnology in Taiwan (Republic of China)

Summary

Taiwan is organizing a comprehensive plan for the development of biotechnology. The National Science Council coordinates this effort and is the major source of research grants. There is considerable research activity in the institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the medical centres and the university laboratories. In order to promote technology transfer, the government has created the Development Centre for Biotechnology (a non-profit-making private organization), which carries out applied R&D up to the pilot-scale stage and also executes small-scale production. The government encourages the application of new biological techniques in state-owned companies and provides investment incentives to stimulate the creation of new high-technology companies. The National Hepatitis Programme is an early test of this type of government-directed approach. A major effort has been made to recruit from the large pool of Taiwanese scientists residing in the United States. Sensitivity to American concerns has led to a revision of the patent law in order to encourage joint ventures with foreign firms. The principal biotechnology-related industrial sectors in Taiwan are in agriculture and food processing. Three new biotechnology companies have been established in the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park. One of them is using a French process for the manufacture of hepatitis B vaccine, whereas the other two produce diagnostic kits (mainly directed towards hepatitis).