Taiwan breaks ground on mega innovation park

 11/30/2011 ‧Source： Taiwan Today  The groundbreaking ceremony for the Central Taiwan Innovation and Research Park in Nantou County was held Nov. 29, with ROC Premier Wu Den-yih and Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang among those in attendance. "When the park is finished in three years, it will focus on improving the nation's capabilities in smart robotics, greenhouse and botanical engineering, and creative industrial designs," said Shih. More than 50 research institutes, including the Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Institute for Information Industry, two of the most prestigious research institutes in Taiwan, have committed to setting up branches in the park, he added."After completion, the park will connect with other R&D hotspots in neighboring counties to form an industrial and innovation corridor in Taiwan," Shih said. Premier Wu noted that construction on a software development park nearby is expected to kick off next May. "The two science parks and other industries in the same vicinity will eventually form a formidable industrial chain," he said. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the innovation and research park will help advance the government's overall objective of nurturing six emerging industries—tourism, medicine and health care, biotechnology, green energy, culture and creativity, and high-end agriculture. The buildings in the park will be built on green architecture principles, the ministry said.