The vibrant development of digital technologies has brought about revolutionary changes in the field of information services and lifestyles. Taipei City Government harnesses its competitive advantages as the national capital and hub for capital, talent, and technology for its ongoing efforts to intensify professional service and economic activities to sharpen international competitiveness. The government further embraces a pragmatic, planning and progress-oriented approach reflected in diversified concrete measures such as establishing an experimental site for the IP industry, cross-border interactions and exchanges, and matching activity organization with online sales promotion platforms. The goal lies in aligning with international entrepreneurship capabilities, luring overseas enterprises to launch businesses in Taiwan, and demonstrating the city’s abundant creative potential to the world.
Promotion of Innovative Linkages and Sites in the Context of “IP Empower Taipei”
In recent years, the Intellectual Property (IP) Industry has drawn widespread attention. A key emerging industry chain encompassing creators, brand operators, agents, manufacturers, advertising, marketing, and exhibition service providers has been formed through ongoing expansion into new fields such as startups, art, music, anime, and gaming. The convergence of capacities in different fields has positively impacted overall economic development.
In line with its vision of “Bringing Urban Innovation in Sync with the World and Catapulting Taipei on the International Stage “, the Taipei City Government officially launched its “IP Empower Taipei” Program in August 2023. A consensus was reached to create a better future through “concerted efforts” and select “Innovative Entrepreneurship”, “Culture & Creativity”, “Anime & E-sports”, and “Sports Life” as the four major themes coupled with nine activities. 10 curating partners including three resident startup teams of Taiwan Startup Hub, namely N24 ARK•TPE, digiBlock Taipei, and T-fashion Center, and 7 activity organizers and curators contributed to this great undertaking. The program is centered around theme-based activities and employs the three modes of “Joint Curation”, “Joint Organization”, and “Joint Curation + Joint Organization” to create exclusive, innovative co-brands. In addition, it integrates the promotion capabilities of traditional media, social media, and Taipei City Government to empower Taipei through a series of marketing activities, thereby raising the IP industry's business value. .
To bolster the development potential of the IP industry, the Taipei City Government reorganized the “Fashion Block Taipei” space situated in the Taipei Expo Park area and renamed it “Empower Block” in August 2023. This new startup hub, which has been officially opened to private businesses, will continue to serve as a site for promoting industrial public policies, startup experiments, and commercial leases. It provides venues for startup teams in different fields to organize curation activities, hard- and software exhibitions, meetings, exchanges, training, educational activities, experiments, and creative work. This site also features an attached commercial curation space, which can be utilized for the organization of small-scale activities such as meetings, lectures, seminars, presentations, press conferences, and receptions. .
“Empower Block” has enlisted the Taiwan Association for Virtual and Augmented Reality (TAVAR) and R.O.C. Mini Soccer Association as the main curators. TAVAR has planned an XR “TAVAR EXPO” for Area C of this site, showcasing cross-screen AI and human-machine applications. AI-fication of site management is accomplished through gesture-based control. This TAVAR EXPO has the potential to serve as a technological intelligence IP-based foundation and a key empirical site for startup experiences and international exchanges in the future. The R.O.C. Mini Soccer Association has converted Areas D-G of the site into a sports experience testing center featuring 18 challenges for testing motor skills. Smart data collection and analysis are employed to enable children to engage in motor learning in a joyful manner. In addition, the association organized an All-Star Kids Sports Meet in October 2023 with seven fun competitions in the fields of soccer, basketball, table tennis, badminton, tennis, golf, and athletics as the event highlight. The goal lies in promoting key verification sites for “Child Physical Care Passport” in Taiwan and abroad and transforming Taipei City into an IP industry-friendly environment. .
“XR MetaSpace Living Lab” in “Empower Block” Area C
Promotion of Exchanges and Cooperation with International Startup Talent to Spark Transnational Market Opportunities
With a view to foster international talent taking up residency in Taiwan and to generate opportunities for industry cooperation, the Taipei City Government has adopted the “Global Startup Talents@Taipei Program”. The goal is to invite a wide range of international startup teams with R&D and innovation capabilities in the fields of information and communication, IoT, biotechnology and medical care, AI, and AR/VR to engage in direct exchanges with enterprises in Taipei City. “Taipei Entrepreneurs Hub” was created as the official brand for the city's international startup community in 2021 to buttress the promotional capacities of local entrepreneurs in the international startup sphere, intensify exchanges between local and international startup teams, provide international teams with a better understanding of Taipei City, and bolster the capabilities of international startup brands in Taipei City. .
Furthermore, the Taipei City Government has formed a trade fair team to help enterprises in Taipei City secure business and trade opportunities and team up with outstanding enterprises in Taipei City in the organization of exhibition exchanges in overseas markets. In addition to setting up “Your Partner @ Taipei” booths, the team organizes procurement matching events during trade shows and exhibition periods to create opportunities for one-on-one business negotiations with suitable local industrial buyers and exhibitors. The goal is to facilitate linkages to business opportunities, boost sales expansion effects, and accelerate global market deployment of enterprises in Taipei City participating in trade shows and exhibitions. .
■Assistance in Opening Up Market Opportunities
To provide effective assistance to local enterprises in opening up business opportunities on international markets, the Taipei City Government continued to organize online activities during the three years of the pandemic in the context of the “Taipei City Trade and Sales Expansion Program”. Participation in physical exhibitions was resumed in 2023. For instance, a total of 10 enterprises in Taipei City participated in the “Taiwan Expo” in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme “Taipei Connects the World” from July 20 to 22. The goal was to seize new business opportunities generated by global supply chain restructuring. .
The “Bio-Circular-Green Economy” Policy (BCG), which is actively promoted by the Thai Government, prioritizes the high tech field including green circularity and e-vehicles and offers substantial investment incentives including corporate income tax exemptions with no upper limits. This policy has attracted investments by numerous Taiwan-funded food processing companies in Thailand. Exceptional Taipei enterprises such as AcBel Polytech Inc., a subsidiary of Kinpo-Compal Group, San Pin Tian International Co., Ltd., a Taiwanese manufacturer of high-quality food products, and JG Design Studio, which specializes in the design of green walls, participated in this grand event to demonstrate the diversified industrial outlook in Taiwan. .
The theme of the “Your Partner @ Taipei” booth set up at the “Taiwan Expo” in Thailand was “The Three Faces of Taipei: Technology, Culture, and Sustainability”. The unique characteristics of participating enterprises and the city's urban image were fully exhibited in prescheduled “Taipei Talk’s” activities and theme booth tour services. Prior to the Expo, dedicated personnel invited local buyers to create opportunities for one-on-one matching and negotiations. In the period from 2020 to the end of 2022, over 300 Taipei enterprises and 1,000 overseas buyers received services generating business opportunities worth NT$ 5.9 billion. In view of the fact that this was the first physical sales expansion activity in the post-pandemic era, the team scheduled another two stops in Malaysia and Indonesia in August and October to assist local enterprises in opening up transnational business opportunities. .
■Active Enticement of International Talent to Settle in Taiwan
The city government is steadfastly committed to the core goal of adopting key technologies, tapping into the R&D capabilities of international startup teams, and assisting local enterprises in technological cooperation, transformation, and upgrades. In recent years, the Taipei City Government has taken the initiative to integrate the resources of global startup ecospheres with the goal of converting innovative startup potential into a driving force for Taipei’s urban diplomacy efforts. By harnessing “Taipei Entrepreneurs Hub” as the official brand for the city's international startup community, the city government organizes exchange activities in different fields spanning different industries and time zones, paired with ample resources and guidance for the most exemplary entrepreneur community. In 2023, the government locked in on the theme of “Big Health Industry” and organized a series of four community activities. A promotional event in August 2022 was followed by an international online startup competition organized in cooperation with BE Health Ventures, TMU BIOMED ACCELERATOR, and Taipei Bioinnovation Park. The following six startup teams were nominated and invited to participate in the “2023 Global HealthTech Connects Taipei” event in November 2023: Humanity (USA), Iflowtech (Singapore), Zima Sensors Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), FireFly (Czech Republic), Ligence (Lithuania), and MayaMD (India). A series of customized matching events and business visits were organized to expedite the formation of technological linkages and the creation of opportunities for cooperation between startup teams, Taipei enterprises, and venture capital. .
“Taipei Entrepreneurs Hub” organizes customized matching events for startup teams
■Journey to Open Up the Southeast Asian Market
To assist Taipei startups in opening up international markets and raising the competitiveness of local industries, the Department of Economic Development of the Taipei City Government led a delegation of 10 emerging technology startups to participate in the “Techsauce Global Summit” in Thailand in October 2023. During a sharing event held in One&Co Taipei, the participating teams shared their experiences and achievements in Thailand and assisted startups that intend to engage in global business operations in the formulation of development strategies. This marked the first instance of the Taipei City Government forming a delegation to participate in an overseas trade exhibition. In the context of this event in Thailand, a series of networking and brand promotion activities and on-site visits were arranged based on the urban brand concept to assist startups in their search for overseas business opportunities and cooperation partners with the goal of securing their access to the Southeast Asian market. .
During the aforementioned sharing event, the participating teams engaged in a fireside conversation to share valuable information spanning a wide range of topics such as product advantages conducive to overseas expansion, target market selection, expansion timing planning, marketing strategies, resource discovery, and suggestions for trade show participation. Participating enterprises such as Aiello, Dent&Co, and Touché Solutions shared their insights and experiences in the Thai market. In addition to enlisting local startup teams and cooperating units to contribute to this great undertaking, the Taipei City Government also invited partners in the Singaporean defense and healthcare industries such as the Ministry of Health and SMU Academy to foster interdisciplinary exchanges and cooperation and enable Taipei startups to gain a foothold in international markets through sharing of experiences in the field of overseas expansion. .
Techsauce Taipei booth
In addition to promoting diversified policies and measures in the field of technological innovation, the Taipei City Government has garnered international attention as a vibrant city firmly committed to technological innovation and international exchanges. The government spares no effort to assist enterprises in opening up transnational business opportunities, bringing the world to Taipei, and solidifying industry capacities through the integration of key industry chains in the field of emerging technologies and intensification of cross-platform, cross-industry, and cross-regional multidirectional exchanges. .