2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

part in the 2016 7 th and 8 th APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) conferences, which were held in Peru. At these conferences, Taiwan's two proposals—"2016 APEC Typhoon Symposium" and "Simple Human Resources to Symbiotic Green Makers-An Education Platform for STI to SMEs"—were approved. C. Major Joint S&T Activities with International Partners 1. European Area The deputy director of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) visited Taiwan to participate in the "2016 Green Together" sustainability summit, and signed a MOU concerning cooperative battery development by Taiwan and Germany. The 4 th Taiwan-Czech S&T Day activity was held in the Czech capital of Prague, and MOST signed an extended scientific cooperation agreement with the Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic. MOST participated in the 15 th Taiwan-Latvian S&T cooperation convention with the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science. 2. The Americas MOST signed MOUs concerning the Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) and cooperation in the earth sciences with the National Science Foundation (NSF), and jointly promoted projects and sought joint research proposals. MOST held a joint bilateral S&T cooperation conference with the NSF in Taiwan, and the two parties provided joint funding for a bilateral symposium. MOST strengthened cooperation with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the signing of a Taiwan-American cancer research MOU (revised version) by the Academia Sinica and the NIH made Taiwan one of the international members of the US "National Cancer Moonshot." In cooperation with Canada, MOST continued to fund bilateral cooperative S&T projects with Canadian agencies (NRC, NSERC, CRC, CIHR), and held an annual advisory conference with the NRC. 3. Asia Area MOST signed an MOU with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). The 5 th Taiwan-Philippines Ministerial S&T Conference, which was held in Taipei on December 9, 2016, approved the three-year VOTE (Volcano, Ocean, Typhoon, and Earthquake) project, and Taiwan expanded cooperation and interchange in the areas of agriculture, medicine and human resources training with the Philippines in conjunction with the New Southward Policy. 4. Africa Area MOST participated in the 3 rd meeting of the Taiwan-Republic of South Africa S&T cooperation committee together with the South African Ministry of Science and Technology in Pretoria, and bilateral symposia were held on the topics of "Innovation Enablers" and "E-learning." D. Funding International Academic Interchange Activities In order to enhance Taiwan's visibility in the international academic world, MOST has striven to promote participation of domestic teams in the activities of international scientific and technological o r g a n i z a t i o n s a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l a c a d em i c organizations, and continues to support S&T research cooperation via attendance at international academic conferences, the holding of international academic conferences, and the invitation of foreign figures to Taiwan. Furthermore, to encourage young scientists to enter the international academic sphere at an early date, MOST provides funding to domestic graduate students for participation at international conferences allowing them to present their research results. This participation also expands graduate students' international perspectives, sharpens their research skills, and fosters collaborative international research relationships. In order to promote the internationalization of academic research, encourage domestic experts and scientists to aspire to international academic leadership circles, and enhance the international influence of relevant domestic academic communities, MOST drafted the Operating Guidelines for Subsidies for Scientists to Enhance International Influence . In accordance with these Guidelines, MOST provides subsidies to domestic scientists serving in important academic positions, such as the directors, supervisors, or executive members of major international academic organizations, or the chief editors or deputy chief editors of international academic journals, in order to fund participation in relevant academic activities. MOST continues to fund participation in the activities of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Furthermore, to support the development of science and technology in developing nations, MOST held 12 international training workshops for trainees from Southeast Asian countries in 2016. The topics of these workshops included public health, earthquakes, disaster prevention, sustainable development, Support for Academic Research Ministry of Science and Technology 77