Nantou village to be transformed into R&D center

At the official opening of the preparatory office of the Chung Hsing New Village High-Level Research Park, Premier Wu Den-yih said that as Nantou produces lots of high-quality fruits and teas, the new park should seek to develop herbal medicines as well as local medical, tourism and leisure industries.

Considered by many as a jewel in the mountainous Nantou County, the scenic village has for decades been a tourist attraction as the seat of the local government.

According to the park officials, the 276-hectare park project, which will be managed by the Central Taiwan Science Park Administration, will break ground in 2010. The first phase of construction will be completed in 2014 and the full project in 2019, at a total cost of NT$26.7 billion. It will bring the area estimated consumption spending of NT$3 billion per year, and provide about 20,000 job opportunities, the park administration said. Some 250 companies, 7,500 Research & Development (R&D) personnel, and 16,500 residents will be accommodated in the park, and the companies operating there are projected to spend NT$5 billion on R&D annually.

In 1957, Chung Hsing New Village became the seat of the then-provincial government and a model community in Taiwan. In 1998, the village lost its enviable status when the provincial administration was abolished, and many of the buildings have remained abandoned since then. President Ma Ying-jeou said earlier this month that the new park will become the most powerful engine driving the nation's innovation and R&D to help diversify overseas markets and products and develop local brands.

Ma added that the park will play a critical role in the government's plan to boost Taiwan's R&D spending to three percent of the gross domestic product by 2012, from the current two percent.

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