Taiwan Innotech Expo successfully concluded at the end of September. During the morning session of the Taiwan Innovation Technology Forum held on September 25th, the focus was on issues related to intangible assets and technology transfer. This event marked the first collaboration between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the UK-based Intellectual Asset Management (IAM), which has a long history of hosting the global IP business forum (IPBC). The forum brought together participants from both domestic and international giants such as AU Optronics, MediaTek, Hitachi, Uber, and Dolby Laboratories for discussions. Minister of Economic Affairs, Wang Mei-hua, highlighted the importance of constructing a long-term intellectual property environment and strategizing intellectual property layout from a higher perspective in the post-pandemic era. This proactive approach is necessary to address the changes brought about by international situations.
Taiwan plays a crucial role in the global semiconductor, computer communication, and consumer electronics supply chains. It invests significant resources in research and development, leading to substantial intellectual property output. As a result, an increasing number of companies are adopting proactive intellectual property management approaches similar to those seen in European and American countries. Global investment in intangible assets surpassed tangible assets in 2009.
Minister Wang Mei-hua stated that the ongoing US-China trade dispute, which has persisted since 2018, is still impactful. Given the current state of the trade relationship and the impact of the pandemic, industries need to maintain their competitive advantage and dynamically adjust their intellectual property strategies. Effective allocation and layout of research and development resources are crucial. Wang Mei-hua further pointed out that in the post-pandemic era, mastering remote applications, accelerating digitization, supply chain reorganization, and localization are all critical issues for industry development. Industries should strategize their intellectual property layout from a higher perspective to proactively adapt to changes in international situations.
Liu Wen-hsiung, the director of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), stated that rapid economic growth relies on innovative research and development in technology, which requires long-term capital investment and support. With support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Industrial Development Bureau, ITRI collaborated with Taiwan SME Bank and the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Fund last year to pioneer successful cases of intangible asset financing in Taiwan. This initiative attracted attention from various financial institutions in Taiwan. As a result, in July of this year, ITRI expanded its collaboration with 26 banks through value-added technology initiatives. This collaboration not only connects funds and provides technical support to Taiwanese SMEs and startups but also garners attention from venture capitalists.
Liu Wen-hsiung pointed out that ITRI is proactively planning the "2030 Technology Strategy and Blueprint," focusing on three application areas: "Smart Living," "Healthy and Joyful Living," and "Sustainable Environment." ITRI aims to strategically invest in research and development and integrate the capital market with the technology market to drive the development of SMEs and startups.
During his role as the moderator for the panel "The Value of Intangible Assets: Linking the Technology Market and the Capital Market," Su Meng-tsung, the director of ITRI's International Division, expressed the hope that through different approaches, startups can enhance their value and understand which financial mechanisms and methods to adopt to increase the value of their patent portfolios.
While moderating the session "Technology Collaboration and Transfer: Experiences in Various Technology Fields," Wu Chih-yi, the director of ITRI's Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories, stated that ITRI has achieved fruitful results in patent output in the past. However, the current focus is on maintaining and streamlining patents. Many companies face similar challenges, so the current focus should be on building a valuable patent portfolio.
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Economic Daily News Reporter Wu Kai-zhong / Taipei Report