Dr. Chi-Huey Wong, President, Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica is Taiwan’s highest-ranking research institution.
Academia Sinica is considered the premier research institute here in Taiwan. Can you talk to us about the role of Academia Sinica in the research for new drug discoveries?
Dr. Chi-Huey Wong (C-HW): The academy is the highest-ranking research institution here in Taiwan, and we are involved in cutting edge research in the fields of sciences and humanities. Our role is focused on fundamental research so in the case of biotechnology, we would conduct the basic research and then use any important discoveries as a foundation for further collaboration within the institute or with other research entities to the stage for tech transfer. We decided to build a bioscience park, as this would enable us to bring together the basic research of Academia Sinica and the translational research of the various research departments of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This initiative has allowed us to move efficiently from the basic research stages to translational research, which will help to bridge the gap between discovery research and innovation.
Academia Sinica is a crucially important resource for many major research companies here in Taiwan. What is the institution’s relationship with these companies?
C-HW: Academia Sinica currently works with a number of major research organizations and biotech companies here in Taiwan, including NHRI, ITRI, DCB, NTU, OBI, CHO Pharma and TaiGen. However, our relationship with these biotech companies is limited only to tech transfer, whereas Academia Sinica will do the basic research and then transfer our discoveries over to these companies. After this transfer, our scientists may act as advisors to these companies or collaborate with the company on the project related to the transferred IP and funded by the company, but they are primarily in charge of bringing the research forward.
Academia Sinica has some of the best talent in this industry. Why do you believe graduates choose to come to Academia Sinica?
C-HW: Academia Sinica is world-renowned for its work in the area of academic research. We have the best facilities in all of Taiwan and an excellent faculty; we take our role in training the next generation of talent very seriously. For graduates who are very focused on furthering their careers in research, Academia Sinica is the clear choice for them.
Academia Sinica has a number of joint programs in place with a number of local and international universities. Can you talk to us about these programs and the universities with which you collaborate?
C-HW: One of our main local programs is with National Taiwan University (NTU) in the area of translational medicine. The purpose of this program is to train physicians to become physician-scientists, so after receiving their MD from NTU, they will come here to complete their Ph.D. We also have an international graduate program called TIGP and a number of joint programs here that are interdisciplinary, such as chemical-biology and biophysics, nanoscience and technology et al. We do not have the same boundaries as universities, where one can usually only specialize in one field. These programs are carried out in collaboration with local universities and the students receive their degree from that university. The TIGP program is also open to students from foreign universities.
As the president of Academia Sinica, you also act as a chief science advisor to the government. In this capacity, how do you feel about Taiwan’s evolving regulation with regards to research in this field and what role did you play in helping to change it?
C-HW: I first started to take a role in trying to enact a new by-law in 2003 to facilitate biotech development in Taiwan. I was involved in writing the articles and helped to get the by-law approved by Congress. This was finally enacted four years later as the Biotech and New Pharmaceutical Act (2007). This is a very important act that encouraged new drug discovery and high-end medical devices and helped promote investment to this high-risk area, as it provides tax deductions. It also allowed inventors to own technical stocks and serve as founding scientists, board directors, and scientific advisors, and universities and research institutions like Academia Sinica to own their intellectual property, whereas in the past the state would have owned them. This new law totally changed the way in which research was viewed and played a major role in how Taiwan has grown into a center of research excellence and biotech development.
The coming decade is going to be a very exciting time for the biotechnology industry here in Taiwan. Can you talk to us about your thoughts on this industry in the coming years as well as the future of Academia Sinica?
C-HW: In the coming years, the biotechnology industry will become one of Taiwan’s major industries. As biotechnology is an environmentally friendly industry, it is a great choice for Taiwan to focus on, especially in the Taipei area where there are concentrated excellent academic institutions and medical centers. The industry will no doubt continue to grow and expand, due to the creativity of the Taiwanese scientists who work in this area as well as the unwavering support that we have received from our government. As for Academia Sinica, I am equally optimistic about our future. We will continue to build on our strengths, especially in the life science area. With the completion of our bioscience park next year, one can only assume that our activity here at Academia Sinica will be greatly increased. This is not only a great step forward for the institution, but also for the industry and the academic environment as a whole.
This interview was conducted as part of GBR’s research on the pharmaceutical industry in Taiwan for its Industry Explorations publication, Taiwan Pharmaceuticals 2015, which will be published in June 2015. To participate in this report, please contact Irina Negoita at [email protected].
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Dr. Chi-Huey Wong, President, Academia Sinica
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