Startup industrial clusters will activate startup motivation - 臺北產經資訊網

Featuring high value-added and intensive investments, the innovations and creative R&D are in high demand for the biotech industry. These are the main industrial projects highly promoted by each country. To boost industrial transformation and upgrade in Taiwan, the government has passed the “Biomedical Industry Innovation Promotion Program” in 2016. The government wishes to create a public image for Taiwan as a location of strategic importance for biomedicine in Asian Pacific region by introducing the four main actions – to perfect the ecological system, to integrate creative clusters, and to connect the local resource with international market resource. The Taiwan government even announced that it will use the grand strategy suited for small countries to integrate resources in 2018, connect to creative clusters, and build up the next valued industry that is worth a trillion for biomedicine.

According to the statistics of survey on 2016 Taipei City technology industrial park and biotech industry, the number of entrepreneurs who work in biotech and are located in Taipei City have exceed 1/4 of the entire national population. The revenue has reached up to 50% of the entire revenue. Most data were collected from 8 medical centers, 20 biotech related departments or institutes, and biotech incubation institute, some famous international/domestic pharmaceuticals, startup industry, financial industry, and other industries heated up over the network of industrial clusters. It has become the most iconic biotech cluster in Taiwan.

To cooperate with the “5 Plus 2 Industrial Innovative Program” held by the Executive Yuan, the “Nangang Biotech Industry Cluster Development Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Project” was officially launched on April 30, 2018 and run by the Taipei City Government. It connects with the southbound Academia Sinica, National Biotechnology Research Park, and northbound internal medicine, Nangang Software Park, plus the transport hub, Nangang Station, a hub with three different rail systems. Hanging over to the outer counties and cities, the biotech parks will develop the power and shape the complete national biotech industrial corridor.

The plan base is located in the southbound of Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., and was operated by private sector agencies that wished to participate in the investment and constructions. The most advantageous applicant – Shikang Development Corporation will be in charge of the planning, constructions, and operations. The total construction area covers 31,335 pings, and its main business can be divided into 2 parts:

• The incubation center that covers 5,000 pings of ground was established. Make good use of the incubation resource to foster and give advice to startup and small-scale biotech enterprise.

• The industrial space that covers 12,000 pings of ground was established. Introduce the technology, research and development in the middle or later stage, or the biotech enterprise with a much mature scale. Provide the office, R&D labs, small pilot and mass production, and many multi-functional spaces. On the other hand, integrate the professional competences held by the Industrial Technology Research Institute and Research Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Policy. Run the operations from multiple perspectives including technology research and development, business opportunity exploration, funds matching, international market layout, and inject consultation resources.

This plan is the first national plan that focuses on the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) development project of biomedicine industry. It is estimated that this plan will set up a future goal that focusing on business consulting for incubation, academia-industrial interfacing, and global docking for its operations. The key point is to develop the smart and innovative biotech industry by introducing the startup incubation center, and boosting industrial upgrade and transformation; to select the commercial chemical research result with high potential to help the enterprises to keep control of the demands on site in the clinic, and to reduce the time spent on product development; to introduce domestic and foreign excellent teams with high potential, to reinforce the power of creative clusters, and to actively participate in evens held by international exhibitions to increase visibility in the world stage. It can fill that gap between the needs of space volume for biotech enterprises by starting a collaboration between the public sector with the private institutes. It can meets the expectation of a pilot and mass production, and research and development held in this city while satisfying the needs of biotech enterprises. The plan will soon start to build constructions after signing a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) contract when the overall development time schedule has been completed. It is estimated that the government will officially start the operations in 2021, and the contract will be effective in the next 50 years. It is assumed that the city government will at least receive a revenue of 6.8 billion for its overall financial income. It can create 3,100 jobs, and bring economic benefit that is worth more than 50 billion for the annual value of biotech industry.

Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government has launched the “Yuanshan Startup Industrial Clusters” at the Taipei Expo Park, focusing on technology, culture, art, fashion, design, video, education, and industries from other field to share ideas of startup power and cross-border exchange. Currently, there are 6 startup bases built in this area including digiBlock Taipei, Center for Innovation Taipei, fashionBlock Taipei, Fablab Taipei, Moss Life Taipei, Farm&Fish Taipei; plus, 5 venues that allow you to use your imagination, and 8 venues that allow you to experience creativity. There are more than 150 teams in charge of domestic or foreign operations that move into the place. At least 1,000 people are regular staffs. At least 200 activities were held for startup exchange so far. An introduction to the 2018 startup bases that have been officially launched will be introduced to you below.

§ fashionBlock Taipei

There are about 70% of the brand designers who moved into Taipei City to build their office in Taiwan. More unique textile and apparel industries with a particular business size have gathered in this place (such as Fashion Institute of Taipei , Design Atelier, Yongle Fabric Market, Bangka Clothing District, and etc.). Therefore, Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government worked hard to promote fashion industries to create an unique image for this urban city in Taipei, and showcase a variety of new faces in urban living.

Considering that the Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government worked closely with Fashion Taipei to collaborate and establish the “fashionBlock Taipei”.  It was first launched in April, 2018, covering 270 pings in the field. With a goal to foster some of the most potential new brands, it offers services for startups that start from ”0 to 1” in the domestic fashion, design fields. Services cover professional consultation, affordable rents, and simulated commercial space to help these brands to showcase their brand image by providing an environment and services related to creation and operations (such as resource like pattern makers, public relation, new media marketing, apparel collective purchasing, brand running programs, accounting and financial consultation). Meanwhile, forums, seminars and matchmaking conference will be held regularly to help designers through consulting and resource injection to boost brand development. In the future, it plans to establish the first professional fashion wardrobe to showcase the products called “Taipei Showroom.” Hopefully, it can become an opportunity for businesses to express their ideas about fashion and design and exchange creativity. It allows domestic and foreign vendors to see the gathering power of fashion in Taipei.

§ digiBlock Taipei

To build the right industrial environment for the development of Taipei City digital economy, it created the first national innovations and technology industrial park featuring the augmented and virtual reality topic – the “digiBlock Taipei” base was first built in the Chengde Labor's Cultural Park. It moved into the area because of the affiliated unit of Department of Labor (including the Taipei City Employment Services Office, Taipei City Labor Inspection Office, Institute of Labor Education of Department of Labor). The base covered an area of 1 hectare, and the total flooring of this building covers 1,940 pings (including the basement). Starting from 2017, rehabilitation began and was finally accomplished and put to use in June, 2018.

“digiBlock Taipei” can be divided into three buildings, building A, B, and C: Taiwan Association for Virtual and Augmented Reality, the community legal person (TAVAR) was qualified and eligible to acquire the space operations. Building A was built to set up the AR/VR and digital content innovations and technology startup bases, and planned to use the space to incubate several applied projects including virtual reality live show, live shopping, online creator Youtuber, mobile games, and a place to experience educational content of virtual reality. Building B was primarily run by Taiwan x Israel Center (TXI Center) to connect you to the augmented virtual reality (AVR) ecology, and introduce the education or training experience facilities and training environment promoted by the global leading manufacture featuring the AR/VR industrial application “EON Reality”. It cultivated domestic AR/VR talents, and boosted industrial application. At the same time, TXI Center introduced  augmented virtual reality conference facilities to establish a conference center for the global augmented virtual reality annual meeting in the future. Building C was run by the Digital Content Industry Promotion Office of Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to promote office relocation. It enabled innovations and international connection to creative field through focusing on digital content, Somatosensory technology and cross-border new smart IoT, and other technical support featuring key topics.

In future, it is estimated that there will be at least 15 startup teams moving into the place each year, enabling large corporations from 3 countries to take part in the event. The government will also hold several demo day events for the products or technology introduced by the startup team, large cross-border or cross-industrial campaigns featuring augmented reality or virtual reality Hackathon, seminars featuring digital content, and other campaigns, which allows each industry to make use of other related technology, boost the promotion AR/VR product promotion, and create an image for the Taipei City by making it the iconic city of AR/VR.

For more information about fashionBlock, please visit https://www.facebook.com/fashiontaipei2016/
Taipei digiBlock:http://www.expopark.taipei/