On July 11th, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) hosted the "APEC Science and Technology Cooperation Achievements Press Conference" to announce that Taiwan has successfully secured APEC funds for 6 projects according to the APEC's official announcement. This remarkable achievement has brought our country's accumulated projects to 47 over the past four years, surpassing the United States in securing the top position among all member economies. Notably, Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) at MOEA presented a total of 7 projects in the technology field, leading in all categories. This demonstrates the international recognition of Taiwan's technological prowess and the dissemination of our research achievements through international platforms, contributing to the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr. Chiou Chyou-Huey, Director General of the DoIT at MOEA stated that APEC is one of the few international multilateral organizations in our country that requires official participation with formal membership. It aims to facilitate economic and technological exchanges and cooperation within the region. Additionally, APEC encourages members to share their success cases, and annually provides funds to facilitate technology exchange and cross-domain collaboration, thereby driving regional economic development. To showcase our technology and research capabilities, DOIT selected technological projects to propose to APEC. Over the past four years, a cumulative total of 7 projects have received support from APEC, including the " Intelligent Cloud for Machinery," "AI Box Digital Healthcare," " Additive Manufacturing" and "AIoT Precision Fisheries Technology" by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI); the "Digital Transformation in Dentistry " and "Smart Hospital Solutions" by the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC); and the "Digital Twins Solution" by the Institute for Information Industry (III). In the future, we will continue demonstrating Taiwan's technological strength through international collaboration and exchanges, leading domestic enterprises to explore opportunities in the international market.
The two recent projects approved this year are the "AIoT Precision Fisheries Technology" by ITRI and the "Smart Hospital Solutions" by MIRDC. The "AIoT Precision Fisheries Technology" aims to integrate ITRI's offshore fishing AIoT value-added system with Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) rotary-wing aircraft. This innovation assists in identifying optimal routes and fish hotspots for fishing vessels, effectively expediting their search for productive fishing grounds. Once promoted in the APEC region, it will facilitate the digital transformation of regional fisheries and enhance the value of fish detection. Meanwhile, the "Smart Hospital Solution" collaborates with the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. By integrating medical big data platforms with AI analysis and smart manufacturing technology, it develops a smart hospital service solution to optimize physiological data monitoring and lesion image interpretation. This technology has the potential to be promoted in regional hospitals in the APEC economies, improving medical quality and efficiency.
The two projects mentioned received approval this year and at the press conference, other APEC projects from the past 3 years were highlighted:
1.The "Intelligent Cloud for Machinery", developed by ITRI aims to leverage intelligent cloud services to enhance supply chain resilience. The project involves a partnership with the Taiwan Textile Research Institute to implement the Smart Machinery Cloud within textile dyeing and finishing factories in Vietnam. By integrating data from various production modules, the project reduces labor demands and enhances production efficiency. Moreover, the project has successfully established a cross-border textile industry network and has spun off a startup company, Expetech Co., Ltd, with the objective of advancing market expansion.
2.The "AI Box Digital Healthcare", developed by the ITRI, utilizes artificial intelligence to assist in diagnostic processes, aiding physicians in efficiently detecting subtle irregularities in retinal images and evaluating their severity. The AI technology serves to support the identification of diabetic retinopathy lesions and wound assessment, and it has been successfully transferred to the domestic medical technology firm - Medimagin Integrated Solution Inc. This innovation not only received certifications from both the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) and the Japan Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (J-PMDA), but also achieved an export rate of up to 95%. Additionally, it made significant inroads into the markets of Japan and the United States, resulting in sales revenues exceeding hundreds of millions.
3.The "Additive Manufacturing", developed by ITRI, combines both smart manufacturing and virtual-to-real integration technology to craft personalized, high-precision titanium alloy provisional denture frameworks. Currently, in collaboration with the Taiwan Association for Dental Sciences (TADS) and Taiwan Association of Dental Technicians (ADT), the project facilitates a new startup named Chien-Mei Medical Investigation and aims to link artificial tooth root system manufacturers, Global Dental Implants, with the machine tool manufacturing and sales leader, Tong-Tai Machine & Tool Co., Ltd. These collaborations have led to the successful production of custom-made high-density titanium dental bracket samples in Singapore and Malaysia.
4.The "Digital Transformation in Dentistry", developed by the MIRDC, integrates digital dental implant systems manufacturers to provide comprehensive solutions. The project successfully established partnerships with dental clinics in Malaysia and is well-prepared to conduct a series of product launches and educational training events within the region.
5.The "Digital Twins Solution", developed by the Institute for Information Industry (III), integrates decision-making models from both artificial intelligence and human intelligence to transform the unspoken expertise of farmers and fishermen into a digital format. The project collaborated with a system solution provider "Hotiki" and partnered with Thailand's United Mushroom Center to implement the Digital Twin Technology within enoki mushroom factories. The primary aim is to assist the business in maintaining mushroom quality, enhancing supply chain productivity, and generating a significant industry benefit estimated at 2 million.
Sources: MOEA
