To push Taiwan's advantages in this sector, the government has included biotechnology in the "Challenge 2008" six-year national development plan, and one of the 'star' industries in the "The Two Trillion, Twin Stars" Plan. Since the announcement of the "Promotion Plan for the Biotechnology Industry" by the Executive Yuan in August 1995, related ministries within the government have begun to execute and plan measures for the development of biotech. These measures include the development and enactment of laws and regulations relating to biotech, the encouragement of the private sector to invest in research and development, technology transfer, the training and development of personnel for the biotech industry, increased investment, improved international cooperation and collaboration, the construction of biotechnological clusters, and the acceleration of the development of biotech-related industries. With the enactment of the Promotion Plan, both government and the private sector in recent years have aggressively invested in the development of the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.

With the 2003 amendment to the Promotion Plan, growth targets for the industry were set to 25 percent per year over the following five years. Such growth is expected to bring into the sector investments of NT$150 billion over the same period. An additional goal was for the establishment of more than 500 biotechnology companies over the next 10 years, with 18 large-scale international standard companies established by 2010. Based on recent data, Taiwan's biotech companies are involved in the following fields: Clinical trials/bio-equivalence, clinical animal experiments, biotech-related contract manufacturing, cord blood preservation services, bioinformatics, biochips, drug development, herbal medicine, physiological / biochemical monitoring systems, monoclonal antibody drugs, gene diagnostics and gene therapy, stem cell technologies, transgenic plants and animals, technology for developing pharmaceutical dosage forms, genetically modified products, and artificial organs. These new established biotechnology companies represent the current booming biotechnology industry within Taiwan, and reflect the efforts and promotion of our government.

In order to provide a beneficial environment for start-up companies and investment & development of the industry, the government has built up infrastructure such as transportation, telecommunications, electrical power, water resources, environmental protection, biotechnology parks, and a workforce of highly-educated professionals. Additionally it has enacted personnel training programs, started biotech-related investment funds and established investment incentives for the continued development of biotechnology on the island.

We firmly believe that building a free & open investment environment and business operation mechanism is the best strategy to further encourage the development of the nation's biotechnology industry, and expect that through the efforts of the government and the private sector Taiwan will become the R&D manufacturing and operations center for the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries in the Asia Pacific region.