Premier Jiang Yi-huah today highlighted the importance of innovative applications to development of Taiwan's smart handheld device industry.
"International trends indicate innovative applications are the key to further growth in the smart handheld device industry," he added. He also stressed that boosting this industry is important to bolstering the domestic economy.
The premier made these remarks after he was briefed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on the current state of affairs for the industry and the government's development strategies for it at the Cabinet's weekly meeting. He directed the MOEA to stay up to speed on next-generation innovative products and actively push for technological breakthroughs in key components as well as innovative application services.
Smart handheld devices are the next-generation mainstream products in the information and communications industry, and the industry's focus has shifted from manufacturing to developing innovative application services based on users' needs, Jiang noted.
An internationally renowned powerhouse in information technology, Taiwan has a strong and solid industry chain for smart handheld devices, Jiang said. He asked ministries and agencies to exploit this advantage and encourage businesses to develop diverse and innovative application services, adding that a Cabinet-approved program to accelerate mobile broadband Internet services and industry development can also contribute to this initiative. The ensuing upgrade and transformation will bring the industry to the next level of success, he predicted.
The MOEA said under its Technology Development Program (TDP), it has funded projects to enhance cooperation between industries and research and development (R&D) institutes on developing innovative components and finding industrial applications for technologies. In the first half of this year, nearly NT$2 billion (US$67 million) was injected into such projects, attracting investment of NT$18 billion (US$599 million) and helping Taiwan's smart handheld device industry to expand its global clientele. New opportunities are being created for the industry by integrating the resources and expertise of the industry and R&D fields, the ministry stated.
The MOEA also reiterated its three-pronged strategy to build a comprehensive smart handheld device supply chain in Taiwan:
*Offering TDP funding to bolster key technologies for components as well as integration of software and hardware.
*Combining ubiquitous fourth-generation (4G) mobile Internet services with other industries to develop innovative applications and products.
*Building a talent pool for the industry in Taiwan while tapping into global resources and promoting international marketing.