Taiwan launches government-sponsored biotech incubator

 Published: 02/11/2011 Taiwan has tapped executives from pharma company Roche and US regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help set up a national biotech incubator. The newly-launched Supra Incubator Center (SIC) will focus on promoting and fostering the development of the country's biotechnology sector. "The primary purpose of our centre is to allocate resources to the nation's biotech industry and pharmaceutical companies, so that they can develop new and innovative biotech products," SIC managing director Soo Whai-jen told Taiwan Today. Soo, who has held senior R&D roles at Roche, Shire and Biogen, said the SIC would also provide Taiwan's biotech companies with legal counsel, help them with patent applications, and offer them technical assistance. Soo will shortly be joined at SIC by Shaw Chen, who is currently deputy director of the US FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation. The SIC's creation is part of Taiwan's "four pillars" strategy for developing its biotech industry. The other elements of this saw the 2009 creation of the Taiwan Food and Drug, the launch of a $2bn biotech venture capital fund, and moves to provide financial support for research in genetic translation and the rapid prototyping production of medical devices.