With the goal of enhancing “global excellence, local impacts,” Dr. Liang-gee Chen, president of Taiwan’s National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) led a delegation to California from June 23 to 30. Among one of the trip’s highlights was the signing of a LOI between Chen and the Sunnyvale-based Plug and Play Technology Center (PnP) President Canice Wu on June 24. PnP is a renowned global accelerator specializing in cultivating the next generation of revolutionary technology start-up companies.
The LOI signed by NARLabs and Plug and Play opens up new prospects for Taiwan’s innovative teams, offering more hands-on experiences, funding opportunities, social networking and added exposure to the highest technical caliber of assistance. It is the type of cooperative efforts sought by Taiwan’s National Science Council (NSC) to stay at the forefront of the technology industry.
On the home front, NSC has also worked hard to encourage entrepreneurial programs aimed at helping Taiwan’s young innovators to start their own business. One such program is called FITI, From IP (Intellectual Property) to IPO (Initial Public Offerings), combining the resources from Taiwan’s business and government sectors. Administered by NSC, NARLabs facilitates the program to assist young innovators in taking their ideas from the drawing board to the marketplace.
As part of FITI, an Entrepreneurial Camp is set up consisting of 200 teams. The program is chaired by Acer’s Founder Stan Shih, who selects the top four to six teams for final consideration in August.