(Taiwan) Taiwan as strategic partner of BIOTECHNICA 2005 :: BiotechEast - Taiwan and China biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, ^¤å½s×, ^¤å×§ï ::

(Press release, Deutsche Messe AG, Taipei Office)

BIOTECHNICA 2005
14th international trade fair for biotechnology
18-20 October, 2005
Hannover, Germany

13 September, 2005
"Biotechnology Industry: The Next Economic Engine for Taiwan" is the headline of a four-hour Taiwan Country Seminar with a total of nine distinguished speakers, to be held at BIOTECHNICA 2005, where Taiwan plays an exposed role as a "strategic partner."

BioTechnica is Europe's largest and most important trade show for the biotechnology sector.

The "Partnerland Concept", where a certain region is invited to a program of special highlights and exposures is well known since decades from the two leading fairs HANNOVER MESSE and CeBIT, has been adopted by the organizers of BIOTECHNICA, albeit scaled down to the needs of this smaller, highly specialized scientific event, and with Taiwan as the first partner in the 25 year history of this leading event for Europe.

Taiwan will use this special invitation to present a comprehensive introduction into the country's biotech industry and to offer ways of cooperation in R&D, product development, contract research, contract manufacturing and clinical testing.

The Taiwan Country Seminar covers topics such as:
• The Development of the Biotechnology Industry in Taipei (presented by the City Government of Taipei)

• The Taiwan Biotechnology Industry: Current Status Analysis (presented by the president of Taiwan's Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) )

• The Opportunity and Challenge of the Bio-Medical Industry in Taiwan (presented by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) one of the world's largest research instutions)

• Forging the Future: Business Alliance with Taiwan (presented by the executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the country's semi-official foreign trade promotion agency)

The seminar is supplemented by introductions of new product developments followed by an invitation-only networking and match-making reception.

A "Taiwan Pavilion" in Hall 3 will feature displays from Taiwan biotech manufacturers as well as an information and contact booth, run by the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Industry Program Office (BPIPO), an authority under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Taiwan, known as one of Asia's four little dragons, has long established itself as one of the most important manufacturing hubs in the world for high technology products, as demonstrated at the annual CeBIT and Hannover Messe. Not recognized by many, however, Taiwan has also rapidly become a place of innovation, i.e. ranking number four in terms of most US patents awarded. Almost twenty five years ago, the island turned its attention to biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. With major financial support from the government, a number of non-profit research and development organizations such as the Development Center for Biotechnology; the Biomedical Engineering Center within the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) etc. have been established, providing the training grounds for research personnel and also incubators of creative ideas. Meanwhile, the National Science Council, in conjunction with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, sponsors a number of National Core Research Programs involving cross-institutional collaborations.

The government, as will be stressed at BIOTECHNICA 2005, has also set aside special investment funds to help start new biotech/pharmaceutical operations in Taiwan.

This enthusiasm on biotechnology has infiltrated the private sectors as well. Many of the major conglomerates on the island have now established their own biotech/pharma investments funds and a subset of them has set up in-house biotech/pharma operations. Special incentive programs have been structured to attract overseas companies to establish their research centers in Taiwan. Many have already taken advantage of such a program, and the aim of the Taiwan mission to BIOTECHNIA is to intensify this cooperation.

Compared to the US, Europe and Japan, Taiwan remains a low cost location to operate. Its 150-plus universities provide a large pool of talented and disciplined workers. Taiwan's emphasis on intellectual property protection differentiates it from many of its nearby neighbors where counterfeits or intellect property piracies are prevalent. The total biotech/pharma output is in the order of magnitude of US$500 million. This is paled, of course, by numbers reported in the US and Europe, but it nonetheless signifies that Taiwan's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry is definitely on the move.

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