The impacts of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on global trade and our daily lives have led to an acceleration of technological innovations in different sectors. At the same time, our society is transitioning from the era of Big Data towards Hyper Digitization. To help industries prepare for these trends and navigate the post-pandemic world, this year’s Taiwan Innotech Expo (TIE 2020) was highlighting the latest smart living technologies that can spark new imaginations. Since its transformation into a global trade show, the TIE continues to draw international attention to Taiwan’s strength in R&D and innovation. This year’s event showcases how Taiwan stays resilient in face of a global crisis.
Blueprints for a better world can be found in the three thematic pavilions
Scheduled to be held at Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) from September 24 to 26, the TIE 2020 was jointly curated by the following 10 government bodies: the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOWH), the Ministry of Labor, the Council of Agriculture, the National Development Council, the Environmental Protection Administration, and Academia Sinica.
With “Resilient Taiwan, Smarter Future” as the overarching concept, the event organizers had built three thematic pavilions: Pioneering Inventions, Future Technologies, and Sustainable Development. More than 1,000 products, concepts, and patented technologies was on display during the three-day trade show. Exhibitions, keynote presentations, and seminars was live-streamed for international audience. Guided thematic tours of the exhibitions took place both physically and online. Other parts of the event such as intellectual property (IP) consultations and one-on-one meetings with suppliers was also remotely accessible via the Internet.
The TIE has been demonstrating the R&D strength of Taiwan’s private enterprises, government agencies, academic institutions, and research entities. Taking advantage of its position in the region and its local capability for innovation, Taiwan is pursuing a New Southbound Policy and deepening its ties with the US, Europe, and Japan. The long-term goal is to turn the island to an international IP hub and promote home-grown technologies.
The Pioneering Inventions pavilion heralded the arrival of Hyper Digitization
The Pioneering Inventions pavilion displayed 105 technological solutions that could be adopted by industries within the next five years. The pavilion was divided into four subsections: hyper-automation, the Internet of Everything, physical-virtual integration, and new healthcare technologies. The solutions shown here were presented in a way that highlights their respective roles in the fields of national defense, disaster prevention, future mobility, and epidemic response. Additionally, the pavilion featured immersive exhibitions on service robots, interactive VR experience, smart gym, etc.
The Sustainability Development pavilion offered an exploration of humanity’s future
In keeping with the principle of the 4Rs, the exhibitions at the Sustainability Development pavilion showed technologies that may be used to build green homes in the next 20 years. This year’s TIE wants to present a technological ecology that helps realize a circular economy. To that end, exhibitions here reflected the following four topics that will increasingly affect our lives in the future: modern agriculture, green energy technologies, circular economy, and workplace safety. Furthermore, TIE had invited members of the European agricultural sector to share their technologies and professional experience at the Sustainable Development pavilion. They also attend seminars to discuss joint marketing initiatives and strategic cooperation.
The Future Technologies pavilion opened a new horizon in R&D
Technological advances have a major influence on how we live in the future and can shape the world in ways that we have never imagined. Hence, the Future Technologies pavilion showed R&D results that could set the directions of the technology sectors in the next 3-10 years. In curating this pavilion, the MOST amassed considerable resources and invited Academic Sinica, the MOE, and MOHW to assist in its efforts. Exhibits were centered on precision healthcare, optoelectronics, new materials, AI, and AIoT, emphasizing Taiwan’s advantages in the development of leading-edge technologies and their innovative applications. As part of the COVID-19 response, many of the displays here were made viewable online.
The International Section breaked new grounds for the expo
The pandemic has led to the cancellation and postponement of trade shows around the world, but this is not the case for TIE 2020. The event gathered 69 exhibitors from 18 countries, including Corning, Cisco, Microsoft, Logitech, Siemens, Nissan, and National Science and Technology Development Agency. These international exhibitors displayed 123 technological solutions related to information security, Industry 4.0, robotics, biotechnology, energy, and agriculture.
IPBC Taiwan 2020
The Industry Development Bureau under the MOEA and the Industrial Technology Research Institute have joined forces with IAM (Intellectual Asset Management) to hold a virtual forum IPBC Taiwan in the morning of September 25. This forum was themed with the value of intangible assets and technology transfers. Hitachi, Uber, and MediaTek are among the global IP leaders joined the online discussions and shared their strategies. The forum was broadcasted within the venue of the TIE 2020, on the main stage in Area C of TWTC Hall 1 and could be followed through live stream.
