The Executive Yuan on June 30 held a pre-meeting ahead of the BioTaiwan Committee (BTC) Meeting to lay out plans to boost development and innovation of Taiwan’s precision medicine industries in order to achieve its 2030 policy aspirations.
To strengthen Taiwan’s biomedicine sector, the Executive Yuan in September each year holds the BioTaiwan Committee Meeting, one of the most important meetings on national biotechnology policy.
The BTC pre-meeting gathered members of the BTC to update them on progress in boosting development of the biotechnology sector and outcomes of cross-departmental collaborations. Minister of Science and Technology and Deputy Convenor of the Executive Yuan’s Board of Science and Technology (BOST) Wu Tsung-tsong said that amid development of artificial technology, digital technologies and the Internet of Things, the boundaries between the sub-fields of biotechnology have begun to blur. With Taiwan’s comprehensive medical data accrued over many years and National Health Insurance system serving as a foundation, the domestic biotechnology sector is shifting towards customized precision health services that cover predictive, preventive, treatment and care solutions that leverage cross-disciplinary collaborations with information communications technology (ICT) and data analytic applications.
Minister Wu said that BioICT is expected to drive further technological breakthroughs and innovations, leading to tremendous added value for industries. Taiwan must also take an active role in promoting precision healthcare to more countries in Asia and globally.
BOST said that its current priority is to ensure the execution of the government’s infrastructure building plans, including the “5+2 Innovative Industries Plan” and the “DIGI+ program,” by integrating various resources to establish comprehensive industry ecosystems to foster the development of the biotechnology sector.
BOST added that the government will also devise strategic industry plans in accordance with international trends and implement forward-looking regulatory amendments to accommodate emerging biotechnologies and therapeutics.
[2020-06-30 / CNA]
