Headline News
EU to hold first investment forum in Taipei
Member countries of the European Union (EU) are set to hold their first forum on Sept. 22 at the Taipei International Convention Center to pitch investment opportunities directly to Taiwanese companies.
It is in the interest of Taiwanese businesses to increase their presence in Europe, especially at a time when global supply chains are being restructured due to the COVID-19 pandemic, says Filip Grzegorzewski, the head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taiwan.
"We have to rethink global supply chains and the resilience of operations," he said, adding that the EU does not want to be too dependent on one market or one source of raw materials and that companies in the world have drawn lessons from the COVID-19 crisis.
Taiwan has the potential to become one of the EU's top partners, especially in the ICT, automobile, mobility, health and biotech sectors, which Taiwan champions, Grzegorzewski said.
Taiwan to set up a second Representative Office in France
Taiwan is set to open a second Representative Office in Southern France, in the Aix-en-Provence, as part of government efforts to bolster Taiwan-France cooperation and exchanges.
According to MOFA, France is a core EU member state and a key trade partner of Taiwan. The move is expected to boost the two sides’ collaboration in areas spanning aerospace, biomedicine, business, culture, education and technology.
Southern France is also a popular tourist destination for Taiwan residents, as shown by a 62% increase of Taiwan travelers visiting France from 2016 to 2019.
COVID-19 vaccine eligible for human trials
A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Taipei-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (MVC) and the US National Institutes of Health has been given conditional approval to enter human trials, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.
The “MVC-COV1901 vaccine injection” was found eligible to enter a phase 1 clinical trial by a panel of experts, on condition that Medigen submits additional technical data on the vaccine, the FDA said.
Once the data are reviewed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, MVC will become the third company in Taiwan to begin human trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine is the first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Taiwan and the US, FDA said.
Economy & Society
R&D center with Royal DSM
Taiwan’s National Center University (NCU) and Dutch Royal DSM signed an agreement to establish a joint R&D center. DSM is to invest NT$100 million (US$3.41 million) in the project over the next five years, according to a university statement.
Green materials would be the prime focus of the R&D unit while developing patents, organizing seminars, and training experts will be the key functions of the center at NCU.
Early next year, DSM will also send over 35 experts in light curing, while other domains, such as biotechnology and chemistry, will also feature experts from the Dutch company as well as professors at NCU.
Weiwuying wins 2020
International Architecture Awards
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) won an award in the Museums and Cultural Buildings category of the International Architecture Awards 2020 (IAA).
The awards celebrate architectural excellence and showcase visionaries from around the world to generate a debate on how buildings can have a positive impact on local communities.
The arts center is designed by Dutch architect Francine Houben and captured many awards since its inauguration in 2028, including the International Space Design Award IDEA-TOPS and the Architizer A+ Awards. It was also named among the “World’s 100 Greatest Places” by TIME magazine in 2019.
