Taiwan, France team up to promote innovation collaboration

台灣法國合作推動創新合作

France will sponsor six Taiwan-based companies to visit the European country this year as part of the 'Young Enterprise Initiative'


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan should tap into France’s tech expertise as the two sides continue to boost exchanges through initiatives in the innovation industries, according to a CNA report published on Monday.

In an interview with CNA, Laurent Le Guyader (梁洛杭), an innovation expert dispatched by the government of France to Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), noted that more than 20 Taiwanese startups have received assistance from “French Tech Taiwan” to do business in France since 2016.

French Tech Taiwan, part of the “French Tech Hubs,” is a one-stop online platform serving as “a bridge for startups between Taiwan and France” through provision of information and services in fundraising, human resources, market evaluation, etc. It helps the two countries develop partnerships involving both public and private sectors.

In the eyes of international innovative tech experts, Taiwanese companies can take pride in their prowess in product prototype development as well as advances in software engineering, said Le Guyader, adding that France plans to sponsor six Taiwan-based companies to visit the European country this year as part of the “Young Enterprise Initiative,” doubling the number of last year.

He reckoned that green energy, Internet of Things, and biotech are among the areas in which Taiwan excels, citing the planned collaboration between French diabetes management AI service provider DIABNEXT and Show Chwan Memorial Hospital in Changhua City this year as an example.

The island’s effort to protect intellectual property, he stressed, also adds to its appeal as an ideal place for conducting tech exchanges.