2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

Ministry of Science and Technology MOST cultivation strategies that are strengthening practical industrial manpower training mechanisms and broadening the prospects of S&T research manpower, which will do much to consolidate Taiwan's S&T research foundation. In order to recruit top-notch international scientific research manpower, MOST must quickly optimize relevant policy systems, and create a living and working environment suitable for international manpower, which must be done if the country is to successfully attract international manpower and maintain international norms. 3. Industrial development and transformation Many new S&T trends have emerged and grown in recent years, including the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI). These trends have stimulated new waves of competition among global industries, and domestic industries are consequently embarking on new developmental directions. As a result, in the current digital economy age, capitalizing on international S&T trends while leveraging local technological advantages, sketching out a vision for the future of industry, and maintaining balanced regional development will be the government's most important mission when assisting the transformation of industry. 4. Living and the environment Healthy citizens and a safe environment are the nation's foundation. However, medical and health needs have become increasingly urgent in the face of Taiwan's aging population, declining birthrate, and a spate of food safety incidents, and intensive land development and the growth of information/communications technology have been accompanied by environmental quality and information/communication security worries. These problems and others deeply affect citizens' lives, and urgently require the commitment of resources to the development of relevant science and technology. With regard to land and the environment, since Taiwan has a high frequency of natural disasters, apart from using disaster mitigation science and technology to boost the country's resilience in the face of natural disasters, MOST must also promote diverse forms of The development of science and technology in Taiwan has achieved many impressive successes in terms of both international competitiveness and academic research outputs. According to the IMD's 2016 World Competitiveness Yearbook , Taiwan ranked 14 th globally in terms of overall competitiveness, was ranked 3 rd in the Asia-Pacific region, behind only Hong Kong and Singapore, and was 10 th and 12 th in the S&T-related categories of "scientific infrastructure" and "technological infrastructure". Furthermore, according to the Global Competitiveness Report , 2016-2017 issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), although the rankings of most Asian countries fell or remained the same, the rankings of Taiwan and India both rose, with Taiwan rising one notch to the 14 th place. However, despite Taiwan's steady progress in science and technology, in the face of a rapidly-changing global situation and S&T development trends, Taiwan still faces numerous problems and challenges. A. Challenges Faced by S&T Development in Taiwan 1. R&D and innovation Because scientific research innovation requires a sound environment, including an effective legal and regulatory system, as the country develops an "innovative-driven" development model, the legal and regulatory system must respond to S&T development and rapid economic and social change through flexible, timely adaptation. In particular, the revision of the Fundamental Science and Technology Act is an urgent priority. Furthermore, linkage among industry, academia, and the research community must be strengthened, and needs-oriented innovative R&D and industry-academic collaboration will require reinforcement in order to pair R&D capabilities with industrial applications, and thereby encourage the establishment of new technological startups and drive industrial upgrading and transformation. 2. Manpower training and recruiting Superior human resources are a key basis for innovative scientific research. Responding to the rapid development of the digital economy, MOST has actively drafted interdisciplinary human resources Science and Technology Development Policies Ⅰ 8 Ministry of Science and Technology 2016 ANNUAL REVIEW