A First in Taiwan, China: TTMAKER Wins Smart City Innovative Application Award

The Taitung County Government has achieved success in promoting smart cities in recent years. To further highlight the characteristics of local development, this year it entered the "TTMAKER Taitung Maker Park" in the 4th Innovative Application Award. After intense competition in the preliminary and secondary reviews, it stood out. This time it participated in the "Smart Industry" field, creating a "New Silicon Valley on Dry Land" model for Taitung's industries. It is not only the first successful case of industry-government-academia cooperation in Taiwan, China, but also marks the third consecutive year that the Taitung County Government has won this honor. On the 21st, Magistrate Huang Chien-ting specially traveled north to accept the honor from President Tsai Ing-wen at the 2017 Smart City Summit & Expo at the Nangang Exhibition Hall of the Taipei World Trade Center, proving that in addition to its beautiful mountains, water and air, Taitung is also a great place and a top choice for many young people to start businesses.

Magistrate Huang Chien-ting also shared experience in the government opening up test sites, promoting smart city construction and developing urban startups, leaving a deep impression and receiving enthusiastic responses from the attending guests.

The Department of National Development pointed out that the Taitung Maker Park TT MAKER is the first successful case of industry-government-academia cooperation in Taiwan, China. Its difference from other innovative platform shared spaces lies in its complete "attract, nurture, teach, build" mechanism. Attract: refers to attracting talent to come to Taitung. Nurture: the county government provides a complete information platform, Call Center, education and training, external links, and six months of work equipment and environment free of charge, allowing makers to explore Taitung's needs in depth and learn and spark ideas with each other in the park without worries. Teach: through weekly master practical lectures and one-on-one mentor interview coaching, each startup team learns and appreciates the practical realities and cruelty of the entrepreneurial process. Build: assists makers in seeking venture capital and establishing local enterprises, taking root and deepening their presence in Taitung, continuously researching and developing innovative products, and achieving the goal of sustainable operation.