The Central Taiwan Innovation & Research Park will serve as a research and development cluster for next-generation smart devices and advanced greenhouse and botanical engineering in central Taiwan, Premier Jiang Yi-huah stated today.
The establishment of the park will also strengthen existing industrial and science parks' effects on industry clustering, integration, and innovation, he added.
The premier made these remarks after listening to the Ministry of Economic Affairs' (MOEA) progress report on its promotion of the park at the Cabinet's weekly meeting.
Jiang instructed the MOEA to collaborate with relevant ministries and local governments and spare no effort to attract investments in order to support the upgrade and transformation of industries in central Taiwan.
"At this critical moment in which Taiwan is facing global competition and its industries are transforming from efficiency-oriented to innovation-oriented, the country absolutely must improve its innovation capability to accelerate industry transformation and create added value," the premier indicated.
The Central Taiwan Innovation & Research Park would combine the resources of manufacturers, academia and research institutes to not only spur the upgrade and transformation of industries in central Taiwan but also develop emerging industries, Jiang pointed out.
The concepts of promoting regional development with local characteristics and building an innovative environment for industries, championed by President Ma Ying-jeou, can also be realized in the park, pledged the premier. He urged park officials to innovate in a comprehensive and diverse manner while taking local characteristics and needs into consideration.
According to the MOEA, the park's base area in central Taiwan is 24,721 square meters, and its overall design is low-carbon, environmentally friendly, energy-saving and sustainable. Construction of the first area of the park was completed in March this year, and enterprises were allowed to move in. The whole project is estimated to be finished ahead of schedule, in mid-September.
The park aims to create 1,000 job opportunities in central Taiwan and raise average added value for related industries 2 percent by 2017 and add 5,000 jobs while increasing average added value 5 percent by 2025. In addition, the MOEA plans to develop high-end machine tools in the park and lift Taiwan's export value in these products into the world's top three.