MIRDC and APEC Lead the Development of STI and Supplier Value Chain Integration
The "SMEs Cluster Development through STI and Supplier Value Chain Integration" International Forum was held on October 17th, where experts from APEC economies were invited to discuss and exchange ideas on bringing value-added transformation to SEMs through STI
Sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and guided by the Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the "SMEs Cluster Development through STI and Supplier Value Chain Integration" international forum was held on October 17th-18th. The organizer, the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), cordially invited representatives of APEC economies and a total of nearly one hundred domestic and international experts from industry, government, academic and research institutes to discuss the development trends of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the globe in the field of science and technology innovation (STI). Furthermore, APEC economies’ experience in promoting a platform for STI within the SMEs cluster value chain was shared from two major perspectives: metal technology and green vehicles, while idea exchanges were also conducted regarding the modes of industry promotion and policy suggestions regarding SMEs’ STI.
STI is playing an important role in the transformation and upgrading of APEC developing economies; SMEs, which are very numerous, constitute the driving force behind this development. MIRDC has pointed out that SME clusters have always provided the competitive advantage of Taiwanese industries, and that the initial results have been gained regarding the dechnology (design + technology) introduced into SME clusters; for instance, linking the metal industry with the cultural and creative industry not only improves SME clusters' capability, but also brings more value into the clusters. After two days of discussions and idea exchanges, the forum garnered consensus on the following: I. Strengthening SMEs’ competitiveness and innovation capability. In addition to providing STI to improve the industrial environment and quality, assistance is to be offered to create a cluster value chain, so that STI-related industrial policies can be implemented to achieve sustainable economic growth. II. In terms of the platform for metal technology and green vehicles, it is expected that through the promotion of STI policies in relevant industries, SEMs can keep abreast of the trend of the shared economy in the future, and employ the cluster-based cross-ownership strategy to address the issue of intelligent traffic systems with a vehicle integration solution. This solution combines the benefits from the Design+Technology-oriented production, a culture that focuses on smart life, the experience economy, and the support of related regulations in order to achieve comprehensive development for users, the environment, and industry, while bringing ICT into full play by cross-disciplinarily integrating the auto industry and non-auto businesses.
The forum held by MIRDC has successfully brought together domestic and international experts to achieve the integration of relevant resources and offer innovative services so that government agencies, academic institutes, and private enterprises among APEC members can formulate more effective policies and suggestions on technology development through the closer partnership they have established through experience sharing and idea exchanges at the forum.