Taiwan and the United Kingdom signed the "Science Innovation and Technology Cooperation Agreement" (SITA) in London on October 2. The first wave of cooperation projects includes joint research and development of satellite communications, the Taiwan-UK Silicon Photonics Academic Alliance, and the semiconductor talent cultivation program. The British Space Agency and Taiwan's National Space Center will promote forward-looking technological cooperation in satellite communications. In the silicon photonics area, an academic platform will be established by the research communities of both parties. The Semiconductor Talent Program will also continue to allow British master's students to come to Taiwan for internships and scientific research exchanges. These areas of cooperation are directly related to Taiwan's technological competitiveness in the next ten years. Taiwan's international scientific research cooperation in the past was mostly based on individual projects, academic exchanges or bilateral research subsidies. The significance of SITA is to gradually institutionalize cooperation.
First, a roadmap for key countries in science and technology diplomacy should be established, and every bilateral cooperation should be integrated into the overall needs of national science and technology development. The UK has deep capabilities in optoelectronics, space, chip design, artificial intelligence and basic research, while Taiwan has advantages in semiconductor manufacturing, supply chain and engineering talent. If the cooperation between the two parties is only measured by co-organizing seminars or short-term research projects, it will be difficult to accumulate real policy results. The National Science Council can set a 3- to 5-year technology roadmap for SITA, set research goals, common laboratories, joint research projects, industry-university cooperation and talent flow indicators for silicon photonics, low-orbit satellite communications and semiconductor talents, and then review the progress every year through a fixed window.
Talent policies should move from "visiting Taiwan" to two-way long-term cultivation. At present, the Semiconductor Training Program has arranged for British master's students to come to Taiwan for internships, which is a good starting point; my country can also simultaneously establish a system for Taiwanese doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and young engineers to study in British research institutions and companies. For semiconductors and silicon photonics, truly valuable talent exchanges often take months or even years to participate in experiments, process verification and complete research projects. The government can promote joint doctoral training between Taiwan and the UK, a dual-supervising professor system, and research-based internships with enterprise participation, and provide research funds for returning to Taiwan or industry matchmaking to prevent talents and technical experience from being unable to stay in the country after the exchange ends.
After scientific and technological cooperation is expanded, research security and intellectual property management should also be established simultaneously. SITA involves satellite communications, semiconductors and silicon photonics, and some of these technologies may overlap with my country's national core key technologies or dual-use technologies. Our country currently has the National Security Law and the "Measures for the Identification of National Core Key Technologies". The National Science Council continues to take inventory of important technologies related to national security and industrial competitiveness. In recent years, semiconductors, space, information security, artificial intelligence and other fields have been included in the scope of key technology governance. International cooperation projects therefore require more mature contract and risk management systems. The government can formulate standard terms for cross-border scientific research cooperation, clearly regulating the ownership of research results, patent applications, business secrets, data access, researcher permissions and technology transfer procedures. For projects involving sensitive technologies, a risk assessment should be completed before the research begins so that researchers know clearly which data can be shared and which technologies require additional review. Open collaboration and research security can be promoted simultaneously under clear rules, reducing uncertainty for research teams during project execution.
Science and technology diplomacy requires an evaluation system that can explain the results to society. After the Taiwan-UK agreement is signed, the government can announce joint research funding, the number of research teams, the number of talent exchanges, patents and paper results, industry-university cooperation cases, and the progress of technology entering industry verification or commercialization every year. Satellite communication cooperation can track whether jointly developed technologies enter actual satellite or ground equipment testing; the Silicon Photonics Alliance can observe whether common chip designs and process platforms are produced and cooperate with enterprises; the semiconductor talent plan should test whether trained talents continue to invest in related industries. These indicators can allow bilateral science and technology agreements to gradually form a long-term system, and can also serve as a policy template for Taiwan's future cooperation with Germany, France and other science and technology countries. According to data released by the British government, bilateral trade between Taiwan and the UK will reach 8.9 billion pounds in 2025, and the two sides are also extending cooperation to digital trade, advanced manufacturing and resilient supply chains. For Taiwan, the value of the next stage of science and technology diplomacy lies in whether it can transform international relations into domestic research capabilities, talents and industrial technologies. SITA has provided a new cooperation platform. Only the implementation results in the next few years will determine how far this agreement can leave a deep impact on Taiwan's science and technology policy.
