The new Taiwan Healthcare+ Platform will be the nation's largest online portal to bring Taiwan's biotechnology and health care industries to the world, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today at a press conference for the platform launch.
Jointly established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), this international portal means that the two industries will no longer have to go it alone when developing overseas markets; instead they will be led by the government, Mao said. It also signifies that the two internationally competitive industries will be able to link up with global partners for collaboration and business opportunities.
In addition to the platform, the MOHW and IBMI are promoting Bio-Taiwan Highlights and Top Medical Teams, the premier said. These efforts represent not only a milestone for the biotechnology and health care industries in Taiwan but also achievements of the government in promoting the innovation economy and globalizing local industries.
"In the past, Taiwan's economy was efficiency-driven, and now the nation must advance toward an innovation-driven economy for industrial transformation. Biotech and health care will be crucial in promoting this innovation economy," the premier said.
Taiwan Heathcare+ is the first step in linking local industries to the international community, the premier continued. In the first phase, its mission will be to integrate Taiwan's leading research institutes and enterprises and promote their technologies, services and products overseas. The second phase aims to build recognition for the nation's industrial advantages and establish Taiwan's biotech and health care brands. The third phase will link up with international networks, match jobs in research and development, develop technological collaborations, explore economic and trade opportunities, and establish global partnerships.
Having completed the first-phase of the mission, the government will now focus on building an international image for Taiwan's brands by combining cross-ministerial resources and reinforcing the nation's biotech and medical integration capabilities. Through international links and more innovative services, the government hopes to make Taiwan an international center for biotechnology and health care collaboration and exchange.
Also attending today's press conference were Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng and Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey. Premier Mao also videoconferenced with Horst Domdey, managing director of BioM Biotech Cluster Development in Germany, and Samir Mardini, a reconstructive surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in the U.S. The premier expressed hope that the Healthcare+ Platform will enable Taiwan to establish closer collaborative relations with the two experts.
The IBMI stated that the Healthcare+ Platform is the first large-scale online portal to Taiwan's biotechnology and health care industries. So far, 30 Bio-Taiwan Highlights companies and 42 top medical teams have been selected.