Taiwan President Lai Ching-te attended the Academia Sinica Academician Conference today (July 1), expressing hopes that Academia Sinica will continue to provide advice to the government, strengthen Taiwan’s research capabilities, drive national development, and contribute to the international community.
President Lai Ching-te delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 35th Academia Sinica Academician Conference today, expressing gratitude to academicians from around the world who have traveled to Taiwan to discuss the future academic research and development direction of the country.
“Academia Sinica is Taiwan’s highest academic research institution, continuously contributing internationally with scientific expertise, providing policy advice to the country, and devoted to nurturing high-level talents to lead Taiwan forward,” said President Lai Ching-te, conveying the nation’s utmost respect and gratitude to the academicians.
President Lai Ching-te mentioned several notable achievements under the leadership of Academia Sinica’s President, including the integration of interdisciplinary humanities lectures entering its 10th year, collaboration with major universities offering over 100 courses, providing scholarships for research students in the humanities and social sciences, and nurturing outstanding talents for the nation.
Moreover, Academia Sinica independently developed Taiwan’s first “Five-Dimensional Superconducting Quantum Computer,” providing cooperative units as testing platforms and contributing to the development of extremely low-temperature quantum computer components, marking a significant milestone for Taiwan’s quantum technology development.
In response to climate change, Academia Sinica also collaborated with Taiwan Power Company to generate the first degree of electricity through “carbon-free hydrogen.” In the journey towards net-zero in Taiwan, Academia Sinica not only proposed policy recommendations but also made significant breakthroughs in innovative technology research, such as geothermal, oceanic energy, and high-efficiency solar energy technologies.
Apart from climate crises, Taiwan is also facing the challenge of global digitization. In the future, we aim to establish Taiwan as an “Island of Artificial Intelligence,” accelerating the innovative application of artificial intelligence. Academia Sinica has actively incorporated artificial intelligence into basic research, applying it in various fields such as humanities and social sciences, precision medicine, and ecological environment. In the AI era, access to big data plays a crucial role in academic research.
President Lai Ching-te emphasized the government’s efforts to secure personal data while enabling researchers to access necessary information to enhance Taiwan’s research results’ social impact and international academic competitiveness in the future.
President Lai Ching-te mentioned the establishment of the southern branch of Academia Sinica, aiming to promote balanced development in Taiwan. He also admired President Liao’s vision and goals for Academia Sinica by 2030. He conveyed deep gratitude on behalf of the nation to President Liao and all colleagues at Academia Sinica.
“The progress of Academia Sinica symbolizes the progress of Taiwan,” stated President Lai Ching-te, highlighting this year as the 70th anniversary of Academia Sinica in its Nangang campus. With the accumulated research energy spanning generations, Academia Sinica has assisted Taiwan in overcoming various challenges and established good cooperative relationships with global academic institutions, cementing Taiwan’s presence in the international academic community.
President Lai Ching-te expressed gratitude to President Liao and past presidents, as well as all academicians and researchers. Through collective efforts, Taiwan is advancing alongside the world and even leading the way. He urged academicians to continue offering advice to the government, collectively contributing to Taiwan’s enhanced research capabilities, driving national development, and making contributions to the international community.
Notable attendees at the event today included former Vice President of the Republic of China, Chen Chien-jen; President of Academia Sinica, James C. Liao; former presidents, Lee Yuan-Tseh and Wong Chi-huei; Executive Yuan Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung; Director of the Personnel Administration Department of the Executive Yuan, Su Chun-jung; and Minister of Digital Development Yuan Han-nan.