2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

basis for the drafting of S&T policies and promotion S&T development. b. Planning of S&T R&D inputs STPI has mapped out Taiwan's needs and applications on the basis of the current situation and technology development trends, while taking the important issues facing Taiwan into consideration. At the same time, STPI has also determined potential key technologies that can satisfy the needs of Taiwan's society, represent future global technological development focal points, and reflect survey findings concerning Taiwan's most important and feasibly-met local needs. Following analysis of domestic research and development capabilities (including such items as distribution of research project inputs, professional human resources, and the current state of industries, etc.), STPI has located areas of technology where Taiwan possesses a comparative advantage, and is relying on multifaceted, objective evidence to help direct Taiwan's research inputs toward areas of potential advantage, and provide a reference to guide the planning of future applied science and technology developmental directions. c. Patent intelligence service: Trend monitoring and portfolio planning STPI has applied systematic patent analysis tools to analyze technological development and industrial competition trends in key areas of development, which has provided reference information to guide the formulation of S&T policy decisions, resource allocation plans, and R&D items. STPI's intellectual property creation and portfolio strategy service, which is based on patent portfolio intelligence, is intended to help academic research organizations to plan strategies for R&D and the practical utilization of R&D results. During 2016, this service provided systematic analysis of patent information chiefly in the areas of smart vehicles, applications of communications technology in medical care, and additive manufacturing, and provided customized patent information to smart machinery R&D teams working at numerous domestic universities. d. Employing energy technology to protect Taiwan; building a sustainable future MOST has integrated the resources of different government agencies in implementing the National Science and Technology Program-Energy, and is relying on collaboration with industry, academia, and research organizations to establish linkage with international R&D resources. By accelerating the industrialization of R&D results, this approach has developed energy conservation and carbon dioxide emissions reduction technology and leading Taiwan toward sustainability by meeting Taiwan's energy security, S&T development, and environmental sustainability needs. STPI is helping MOST to establish performance management mechanisms and procedures for the second phase of the National Science and Technology Program- Energy (NEP-II), including a PDCA (Plan-Do- Check-Action) quality management cycle, and is employing a more public-friendly approach to disseminate R&D results, spread the benefits of energy S&T innovation, and help achieve vertical accountability in government inputs used for energy S&T research and development. e. Use of quantitative methods to analyze Taiwan's scientific research and technological development capabilities STPI has long relied on academic papers and patents to monitor Taiwan's S&T research and development capabilities. The quantity and quality of Taiwan's scientific papers have continued to rise in recent years, and the quantity and quality of papers in the fields of computer science, engineering, materials science, and physics have reached especially high levels, making these areas in which Taiwan enjoys a competitive advantage. Taiwan ranks 5 th worldwide in terms of the number of approved US patents, and ranks 12 th in terms of patent influence. f. New tools for the review and assessment of S&T projects In order to provide an even better review environment and make available more information to assist review, apart from continuing to improve and operate the "Government S&T Project Information Website," STPI is also continuing to perform advanced analysis of the content of S&T projects. The "S&T Project Input Statistics and Content Analysis System" is a new subsystem added to the "Government S&T Project Information Website" during 2016, and employs interactive Web methods to visualize S&T project statistics and the results of analysis for the period from 2014 to 2017. The content of this subsystem includes government agency funding application statistics, analysis of government agency research topics, and analysis of major interagency policies and issues. This subsystem is expected to become a new tool assisting project review. g. Reliance on Taiwan-American cooperation to train high-level policy planning personnel MOST Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry of Science and Technology 68 2016 ANNUAL REVIEW