202 Arsenal in Nankang, Taipei

My facebook account is very strange. It doesn't like me to post my thought or share news with others. It is about 30% chance that people have to go to my Wall to see my post and it won't show up in your Home. I don't know why. I think I will post them in my blog.

Here are 3 paragraphs cited from today's Taiwan news. It talks about Taiwan's Academia Sinica planning to build its new National Biotech Park in 202 Arsenal which is next to Academia Sinicain in Nankang, Taipei. There is a precious wetland in 202 Arsenal and has been preserved quite well due to military restriction in the past. Environmental NGOs are against this development and suggest to preserve this wetland and suggest Academia Sinica to build its Biotech Park in other places. Academia Sinica insists to build it in there and claim to cancel this project if they can not build it in there. I think their reasons are very strange and have some thought want to share with you. I hope my opinions won't make me unable to find a job in Taiwan's biotech field.

翁啟惠：生技園區不在南港 就不蓋 (Wong Chi-huey: If Academia Sinica's Biotech Park is not located in Nankang, then we don't build it.)
『翁啟惠說，南部可以設立中研院的分院，強化文化與農業方面的研究，「但那會是分院，不是生技園區，如果南港生技園區做不成，就不能做了」。』(Wong Chi-huey said "You can set up the southern branch of Academia Sinica and strengthen on the research of culture and agriculture. But that is a branch, not a biotech park. If it is impossible to build the Nankang Biotechnology Park, then there is no way to do it") (ps. Wong Chi-Huey is the current president of the Academia Sinica)

『翁啟惠指出，國家生技研究園區要在中研院旁邊，才能發揮群聚效益，方便互動並充分利用中研院的設備、硬體、學術研究成果等。』 (Wong Chi-huey pointed out that the Biotechnology Research Park have to be next to the Academia Sinica in order to elaborate cluster efficiency. It will make it easy to interact with other people and use those equipments, hardwares, and research findings in the Academia Sinica.)

『主張可以遷往別處的人，可能不了解研究人員需要時常進出實驗室以及研究上的「群聚效益」。』 (Those people who suggest to move this Biotech Park to elsewhere may not understand that researchers need access to laboratories and the cluster efficiency in research.)

Here is my opinions:
首先為什麼農業研究就不算生技研究，我也是天天在碰 DNA, RNA, protein, bacteria, yeast, phage, cell culture, tissue culture 等等東西啊，只是我們沒有使用動物，要去溫室而非動物房，然後我用的生物有細胞壁有葉綠素，這樣就不算生技了嗎？ (First, I don't understand why agriculture study is not biotech. My daily work includes all kinds of experiments related to DNA, RNA, protein, bacteria, yeast, phage, cell culture, tissue culture, etc. Well, we don't do animal experiment, we need to go to greenhouse but not animal room, my target organisms contain cell wall and chlorophyll. Doesn't this biotech?)

好吧，就算生技研究只限縮在醫學上，那也不需要都放在中研院旁邊才能做，那不然台大 陽明 清大 成大等等學校的醫學相關研究都因為沒有互相在隔壁就不能合作？ (OK, even biotech research only includes medical researches, researchers still can do their experiments when their institute/center is not next to Academia Sinica, otherwise how other research institutes and universities can do their studies.)

以美國為例，美國最大的國家醫學研究中心 NIH 位在 Bethesda, Maryland 20892。Cold Spring Harbor Lab 位在 Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724。Jackson Laboratory 位在 Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 USA。更別提那一大堆位在美國東西南北中不同地理位置的研究所及研究中心，他們都不需要位在彼此的隔壁，研究人員照樣可以時常進出實驗室做實驗，也不妨礙彼此間的合作及交流，照樣產生一堆一流的研究成果。 (NIH is located in Bethesda, MD, 20892. Cold Spring Harbor Lab is located in Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724. Jackson Lab is located in Bar Harbor, Maine 04609. Not to mention all the other famous and excellent research institutes and center, they are everywhere in US. They don't need to be next to each other to make researches going. Researchers keep working in the lab, share information with each other and generate first-class research results.)

如果真的要待在隔壁的「群聚效益」才能做研究，那中研院更應該要整院遷到還有開闊腹地的中南部了，南港就那麼大，還能變多大呢？還能容納多少中研院未來要成立的新科技園區呢？塞不下啊，那不如早早就遷走，免得越晚遷，以後遷院的費用會更高。 (If it is necessary to stay next to each other to get cluster efficiency, then the Academia Sinica should move to southern Taiwan which has bigger low-developed area for them put all research centers/parks/institutes together. Nankang, Taipei is already crowd and doesn't have much backland for them. It is better to move earlier, otherwise the moving cost will be much higher in the future.)
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Some links:

Activists express doubts about impact of smaller biotech park on wetlands (By Shelley Shan, Taipei Times, Sep 29, 2010)

Environmental activists yesterday expressed doubts about a government plan to halve the size of a development project for the National Biotech Park at the 202 Arsenal in the Nangang District (南港) in Taipei City, saying it would still threaten an ecosystem that was carefully preserved for decades.

National biotech park plan revised (Publication Date：08/13/2010, Source： Liberty Times)

Why Taiwan needs its biotech park (By Keng Liang 梁耕三, Taipei Times, Jun 19, 2010)

Government Okays Nankang Biotechnology Park Project

Taipei, July 23, 2007 (CENS)--The Executive Yuan (the Cabinet) recently decided to let the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to free up a 25-hectare land for constructing the Nankang Biotechnology Park in Taipei.

To stay inline with the biotech-industry developmental program, the National Science Council (NSC) of Executive Yuan is scheduled to launch the NT$27 billion (US$818.18 million at US$1: NT$33) biotech investment project by integrating available resources under the Academia Sinica, which is near the Nankang park.

Backed by efforts from related government authorities, the long-pending Nankang biotech project has been finally settled.

The Nankang Biotechnology Park has been listed as one of the four city-renewal projects of Taipei with major trendsetting implications for several years, but the relocation of the R.O.C. Army 202 Arsenal has long been a hurdle. With the Executive Yuan's latest decision, the arsenal will be moved by 2012 or 2013.

In addition to MND's matching policy, the NSC plans to pour about NT$12.1 billion (US$366.67 million) to plan and construct the public infrastructure facilities and a biotechnology incubator center in the Nankang Park. Academia Sinica is scheduled to invest about NT$15 billion (US$454.55 million) to plan and construct a clinical-test building and laboratory for new drugs, genomes and other special-topic biotechnology research.

Some high-ranking government officials pointed out that the government plans to set up three major biotech industry clusters in Taiwan, including the first in Chupei, northern Taiwan, to solicit mainly big-scale biotech companies, vaccine plants, bio-pharmaceutical manufacturers, electronic/telecom medical device makers, animal laboratories, etc.

The second targeted biotech industry cluster is the Nankang Biotechnology Park, which is scheduled to focus mainly on basic biotech researches and clinical tests. The third would be located in the Kaohsiung Science Park (formerly Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) Luchu Base) in southern Taiwan, the officials said, which would focus on mainly precision metal and electrical-machinery makers of medical devices for such as orthopedics, dentistry, and operation, etc.

With the three scheduled biotech industry clusters, the government official said, Taiwan's biotech sector is expected to enjoy rapid development in coming years.

Companies in the three biotech zones are expected to be availed of the high-efficiency services through a single service window as well as five-year tax breaks and reductions for new-drug development.