MOEA officials display technology-related initiatives proposed to APEC by Taiwan during a press event July 11 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of MOEA)

Taiwan has received notification of funding from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum for six projects it proposed in the first half of 2023, bring the total number of its APEC-sponsored initiatives to 47 since 2019, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said July 11.
 
During a news conference in Taipei City, Chiou Chyuo-huey, director-general of the MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology, said the number puts Taiwan ahead of all APEC member economies in the four-year span. Technology-related projects submitted under the DoIT’s auspices top those in all other categories, Chiou said, adding that this reflects the APEC’s recognition of the country’s high-tech prowess.
 
The two new proposals within DoIT’s purview are “Building Precision Fishery Model Cases in the APEC Region with Smart Technology” and “Promoting the Developing of Information and Communications Technology-Enabled Smart Hospitals.” The former project is to be implemented by Hsinchu County-headquartered Industrial Technology Research Institute and the latter will be carried out by the Metal Industries Research and Development Center based in the southern city of Kaohsiung.
 
The department said ITRI’s other projects involve using cloud services to enhance supply chain resilience, applying artificial intelligence to assist in medical diagnosis and customizing denture brackets with 3D printing technology.
 
The proposal from the Institute for Information Industry, whose headquarters are in Taipei, helps agriculture operators improve their production efficiency and product quality through the use of a decision model combining artificial and human intelligence, while the final project sees MIRDC focusing on dental implant solutions.
 
Since joining APEC in 1991, Taiwan has made substantial contributions to regional development in areas such as disaster prevention, food security, information and communications technology, small and medium enterprise development, and women’s economic empowerment. (SFC-E)