Premier Mao Chi-kuo today urged the new Cabinet to strengthen the bridge between the physical and virtual worlds by taking advantage of online technology and Internet tools.
"Using the concepts of open data and big data, we can gather public opinion and combine or compare that information with the government's administrative policies and results," Mao said after hearing the Executive Yuan Board of Science and Technology's plan for online communication and better governance.
Addressing concerns about when to release government information and whether to charge fees, Mao said that open data and free data should be the rules and not the exceptions. The government will set up a set of measures and discuss the matter further with the parties concerned.
"To help young people find work and business opportunities, we must focus on entrepreneurialism," Mao said. He recommended setting up an innovation and entrepreneurship policy board that can integrate various government agencies and bring their strengths together.
Regarding online funding for business startups, Premier Mao indicated that the government will set up rules to govern small-amount fundraising mechanisms such as crowd-sourcing and crowd funding, cooperating with the private sector to find financial solutions for the younger generations. He requested Vice Premier Chang San-cheng to supervise the matter and designated Minister without Portfolio Duh Tyzz-jiun coordinator of inter-ministerial efforts.
According to the Executive Yuan, the online communication and better governance plan comprises three strategies: communicating concepts, taking practical action, and promoting forward-looking administration. A single portal will be created to provide complete and accurate information on major government policies, which has been one of the public's main concerns. An online communication platform will also be set up for the public to express their opinions, suggestions or complaints about the government's performance, and agencies can respond accordingly.
The innovation and entrepreneurship policy board will tackle five aspects: societal innovation, business environment innovation, international links, regulatory harmonization and an industry-academy platform. Academic research resources will be harnessed to help cultivate talents, and government data will be used in megadata applications and analysis. And, to create an entrepreneur-friendly environment, resources from the public and private sectors will be integrated to establish a single window that provides easy access to business resources.