President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended the opening ceremony of Academia Sinica’s South Campus in Tainan on Tuesday. Lai says that the establishment of the southern branch will not only benefit Tainan but also help balance development between northern and southern Taiwan.
Lai says the new campus will concentrate on critical areas such as quantum computing and agricultural biotechnology, both essential for Taiwan’s future. Lai added that upcoming plans to develop the nation’s first Artificial Intelligence park, the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City project in Tainan, will also be pivotal for AI and technology industries in the region.
Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) thanked Lai for facilitating the establishment of the southern branch during his tenure as Tainan City Mayor.
Liao says that the academy established the Research Center for Critical Issues (RCCI) earlier this year in January. He adds that RCCI recruits domestic and international scholars to conduct vertically integrated team-based research and promote transdisciplinary collaboration.
Liao says the southern branch will take on initiatives that are not feasible at the northern campus, bringing cutting-edge technology to southern Taiwan and connecting local research institutions with the global community.