September 5, 2017
No.150
Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid, founder and Chairman of the Board of the French biomedical research center Clinatec, is leading a four-member delegation to the Republic of China (Taiwan) from September 5 to 8 at the invitation of the ROC government.
The purpose of their visit is to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s biomedicine sector and innovative scientific research, so as to identify new opportunities for industrial and academic cooperation opportunities between Taiwan and France in related fields.
During their stay, the delegation will meet with ROC Vice President Chen Chien-jen and call at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Academia Sinica, and the National Applied Research Laboratories. In addition, they will attend a luncheon hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and visit prominent research institutes such as National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu Science Park, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Dr. Benabid will deliver academic lectures at the NTU College of Medicine and National Chiao Tung University.
Dr. Benabid is a renowned neurosurgeon and physicist who won the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his outstanding contributions to worldwide clinical research. Clinatec is a center for innovative scientific research and advanced medicine that aims to expedite the clinical application of and technology transfers related to innovative research.
The other members of the delegation include Mr. Thierry Bosc, Director of the Clinatec Endowment Fund, and Dr. André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, founder and Honorable Chairman of Soitec, a French semiconductor materials company.
In terms of manpower and resources invested, France is Taiwan’s most important partner in Europe in scientific and technological cooperation. The two sides engage in close exchanges, conduct frequent mutual visits, and collaborate on a wide array of projects. The Franco-Taiwanese Scientific Grand Prize jointly awarded by the ROC Ministry of Science and Technology and the Institute of France since 1999, and the French Tech Taiwan platform established by France in Taiwan in November 2016, have also helped deepen scientific cooperation and technological exchanges between the two countries. Taiwan and France will continue to strengthen bilateral relations on the solid foundation that has been laid so far. (E)