Kaohsiung City Establishes the Southern Taiwan Cross-Disciplinary Technology Innovation Center to Help Industries Upgrade

To promote the sustainable development of industries in southern Taiwan, the Kaohsiung City Government, ITRI, and National Sun Yat-sen University held a signing and unveiling ceremony for the "Southern Taiwan Cross-Disciplinary Technology Innovation Center" at National Sun Yat-sen University on the 16th. In line with the needs of industries in southern Taiwan, they selected multiple topics including composite materials, optical communications, medical devices, and energy management, and formed joint R&D teams to carry out collaborative planning. They will also conduct surveys and research on major industrial science and technology issues such as the circular economy and pollution prevention, hoping to further propose developable innovative technologies and industrialization models. Through industry-government-academia-research cooperation, they aim to assist the transformation and upgrading of industries in southern Taiwan with cross-disciplinary, innovative technologies.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu stated that, given that knowledge innovation and R&D are key to urban industrial transformation and upgrading, she hopes ITRI and National Sun Yat-sen University can work together to play a leading role and attract more high-level R&D talent to Kaohsiung. In addition, she called on state-owned enterprises to increase the proportion of R&D talent, so that academic and research energy can continue to be invested in local industries and raise the salary levels for employment of local young people in Kaohsiung.

ITRI pointed out that, in its overall operation, the Southern Taiwan Cross-Disciplinary Technology Innovation Center will respond to industry demands for innovative technology R&D by combining academic and industrial energy to jointly develop innovative technologies and establish an industrial ecosystem and collaboration platform. During the development period, it will also use models such as pilot production and field testing to industrialize innovative technologies, identify the support and logistics for uniquely distinctive products, services, and technologies, help southern Taiwan develop focused industries, raise the added value of industries, enhance national competitiveness and international visibility, and form an important driving force for industrial value-added in southern Taiwan.