The Bio Taiwan Committee (BTC), an advisory committee for the advancement of Taiwan’s biomedical industry that was chaired by Minister without Portfolio for Science and Technology- Dr. Tsung-Tsong Wu, recommended leveraging Taiwan’s ICT capabilities to broaden the scope for innovation in the biomedical industry.
 
At the closing of the BTC meeting on September 6, Taiwan Premier Ching-te Lai emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration among the biotechnology and AI industries to yield innovation breakthroughs in precision medicine and regeneration medicine. Pointing out that the biomedical industry is the key sector pinpointed under the government’s 5+2 industrial innovation plan, the medical community, together with the academia and the industry, are poised to jointly create enormous possibilities in the course of the development of Taiwan’s biomedical industry.
 
BTC committee member Dr. Hong-Jen Chang made the following recommendations on behalf of the BTC: (1) Leverage Taiwan’s ICT to develop precision medicine and digital health; (2) Accelerate the establishment of policies that promote innovation and that usher in biomedical-related regulatory harmonization with organizations such as ICH and IMDRF. Meanwhile, ensure data security and consolidate biodata together with medical care and reimbursement information to build a comprehensive database to develop digital health; (3) Attract foreign investment and international technology collaboration while encouraging mergers and acquisitions; and (4) Recruit global experts to Taiwan. Improve talent nurturing and build up required skills to solve the industry’s talent gap.