(Above) Group photo at the ceremony

In the post-epidemic era where issues of global supply chain resilience challenge countries all over the world, demands for new technologies are rising at an even faster pace, and the academic and research communities are the best answer as the source of innovative technologies. In order to promote Taiwan's innovation economy, for many years the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has been committed to supporting young students in tech-related entrepreneurships and providing comprehensive entrepreneurial training along the way. Thus, the NSTC started the From IP to IPO (FITI) Program and entrusted the Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) at NARLabs to execute this six-month program, during which the comprehensive training could help the startup teams better leverage the influence of innovative technologies. On June 30, the award ceremony for this year's first-round finalists was held at the C.C.Work Star C Branch. Three teams were granted the FITI Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award, including Anivance AI, Taiwan Pro Aquatic Breeding Biotechnology (臺灣優良水產種苗生物科技), and MICTS. These outstanding startup teams will receive corporate sponsorships of NT$1 million in recognition of their achievements in high-tech entrepreneurship––an important stepping stone for them as they enter the market.

The STPI at NARLabs has been promoting the FITI Program for more than a decade since 2013, in order to discover and cultivate more competitive startup teams and talented youths. The FITI Program also connects entrepreneurs with professional mentors in various fields, including those from the science parks in Taiwan and from abroad. During the training period, the startup teams would receive in-depth business orientation courses in the three most important foundations of early-stage commercialization, i.e., patent strategy, financial evaluation, and business model refinement. The knowledge learned was then further applied and mastered by the teams in two commercial training camps and five practicums which followed. In addition, online matchmaking and year-round counseling hotline services were also in place so as to provide the best assistance for the teams to solidify their growth at the initial stage of development. The award-winning teams that underwent such professional training also presented their technical niches and training results at the ceremony.

This round's teams have displayed outstanding capabilities as they turned scientific technology into innovative R&D to solve existing market issues, and have bravely and proactively taken their first steps in entrepreneurship. In the pre-training phase, 40 excellent research teams were initially selected. After six months of in-depth training, seven of the most promising teams were chosen as finalists. The judges ultimately selected three teams for the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award based on market trends, technology content, and entrepreneurial determination.

In his speech, the Honorary Dean of the FITI Program and Chair of the StanShih Foundation, Mr. Stan Shih, encouraged young students to actively engage in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, and shared his "New Wangdao" philosophy on innovation, which highlights the creation of value and hands-on practice. In order to effectively implement ideas, continuous exploration and persistence are required; at the same time, entrepreneurs also need to possess the courage to overcome difficulties in response to market demands and create more value for the global community.