2016 ANNUAL REVIEW Ministry of Science and Technology

The abundant research capabilities of Taiwan's academic research sector are not directed solely to the publication of papers in journals; apart from strengthening linkage with domestic industry, Taiwan's research capabilities are also being applied to the training of human resources meeting industry's needs. In view of the major role played by SMEs in Taiwan's industries, and their urgent need for the R&D resources and capabilities of academia, MOST began funding "academia-industry technology alliance projects" ("Minor Alliance Projects") in 2012. These projects take technologies developed by the academic sector as their subject, and employ an industry-academic alliance format to fund "technical service laboratories" spanning various industries. This novel form of industry-academic collaboration can systematically diffuse the technological capabilities of the academic sector, which will strengthen industry- academic technological linkage, enhance the practical experience of research personnel, and shrink the gap between industry and academia by promoting better interaction between universities and companies. Implementation of the first batch of minor alliance projects got underway in February 2013; 75 projects received funding during the first year, 92 projects received funding in 2014, 106 projects received funding during 2015, and 91 such projects received funding in 2016. Project implementing organizations included 37 public and private universities and research organizations during 2016. As of the end of December 2016, 1,522 companies were participating in minor alliance projects. This program has achieved its preliminary goal of establishing a platform for academic-industry collaboration, and alliances are currently being encouraged to expand their membership and thereby further expand the diffusion of academic technologies to industry. Academia-Industrial Technology Alliance Projects PIONEER Grants for Frontier Technologies Development by Academia-Industry Cooperation Ⅲ Ⅱ In order to direct academic R&D capabilities and resources to the industrial sector, strengthen Taiwan's industrial technology innovation ability, and gain an advantage in international markets, MOST and MOEA joined forces in November 2012 to propose "PIONEER Grants for Frontier Technologies Development by Academia-Industry Cooperation (PIONEER Grants for AIC)," which call for an interagency industry-academic collaboration model based on the novel format of "academic solution for industrial problems". MOST serves as the program's unified application acceptance window, and the academic participants are responsible for submitting project proposals for review. These p r o j ec t s channe l academi c R&D capabilities to industry by pairing Taiwan's finest scientists and researchers with internationally competitive companies. The beneficial results of this approach include shrinking the gap between academia and industry, fostering the development of cutting-edge industrial technologies, strengthening the key technological capabilities and patent portfolios of Taiwan's high-tech firms, and training scientific and technological manpower of the highest caliber. A total of 6 large alliance projects were implemented in 2016, and the participating companies consisted of 16 well-known domestic firms, including companies in the fields of semiconductors, green chemical engineering technology, wireless/broadband network technology, and mobile communications technology. The projects have attracted a cumulative total of approximately NT$1.5 billion in R&D funding, have resulted in more than 200 patent applications, and have yielded results including the development of an analog-digital converter with bandwidth of as high as 1 GHz, and speed and performance respectively 60% faster and three times better than those of prominent competing brands overseas. By harnessing the R&D capabilities of universities and industry, and promoting joint R&D efforts in forward-looking and basic technologies, this program seeks to bring about a full-scale improvement in Taiwan's industrial competitiveness and product added value. Ministry of Science and Technology 87 Strengthening Industry-Academic Linkage and Innovation