Department of Sports, Taipei City Government

Taiwan Blockchain Academia held its inauguration ceremony at the National Taiwan University Alumni Building today (May 31), and the Industry Localization Forum was held to explore the various positive concepts of block chains and their current development status.

With so many VIPs from the industry, government, and academia gathered under one roof today, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je also graced the function with his presence to say a few words and offer his congratulations.

According to Mayor Ko, blockchain can be applied to a plethora of fields including financial technology, agriculture, food security, healthcare, e-commerce, logistics, and international trade. The technical prowess of blockchain innovators serves to elevate the industry’s overall R&D ability and in turn upgrade the traditional industry. With the official inauguration of the academia, it will facilitate communication between the industry and government departments, thereby fostering collaborations, resource-sharing, mutual benefits, and common good between the industry, government, and academia. This can exert a positive influence on industry development in return.

In relation to industry policies, the Taipei City Government values urban innovation and supports innovative industry by applying the “from the inside to the outside, and from the public to the private” approach, where the government will lead the initiative in supporting the promotion of the campaign. For instance, the “cashless policy” was launched by government agencies and schools to progressively transform Taipei City into a smart city using smart electronic payment. In addition, the city government strives to support innovative enterprises in engaging in the innovation and R&D of emerging technologies. Since the early days of Mayor Ko’s administration, the Department of Economic Development (DOED) formed the StartUP@Taipei one-stop counter to provide consultation and guidance on entrepreneurship, as well as to encourage innovative entrepreneurs. Taipei Municipal Self-Government Ordinance for Industrial Development offers investment incentives, subsidies, and innovation grants for R&D, branding, entrepreneurship, and incubation.

Between 2015 to the end of April 2019, the program has accepted 922 applications and awarded grants with total exceeding NT$1.26426 billion; in particular, there are 158 applications in the field of emerging technologies such as AR/VR, AI, Fintech, Blockchain, information security, gaming, senior citizens, and sports with a total grant of at least NT$ 220 million. For more entrepreneurship-related information, please visit the StartUP@Taipei Facebook fan page or the official Chinese website of the DOED.