Premier Chen Chien-jen pledged to continue expanding science and research cooperation to bring relations with France to new heights while welcoming a French delegation April 29 in Taipei City.
According to the Executive Yuan, the delegation is led by Claire Giry, director general for research and innovation at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. She is accompanied by nearly 30 experts and representatives from major scientific research institutions in the Western European nation.
The group is visiting Taiwan for the first meeting under the Taiwan-France Science and Technology Cooperation Convention (STC), which was concluded in November of 2023 to focus cooperation on six key areas: semiconductors and quantum technology, health care, marine technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, energy and net-zero emissions and space technology.
Chen said France has been a major research partner for Taiwan over the past 30 years, as evidenced by the many agreements signed between the two sides during his tenure as head and deputy head of the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council in the 2000s. The STC in particular is a milestone in the partnership and provides a ministerial framework for the two sides to plan for future cooperation in strategic areas going forward, he added.
In response, Giry praised the robust relations, citing as an example the cooperation pact inked between France’s National Research Agency and the NSTC in 2007 that continues to sponsor joint research projects. The group hopes to expand the collaboration to other areas of mutual interest, she said, adding that her country looks forward to hosting the second STC meeting in 2026 to discuss results and address new challenges. (SFC-E)
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