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SPARK Taiwan: a decade of insights in adapting US translational medicine and commercialization methods

SPARK Taiwan has strengthened the country’s biotech sector, encouraged scientists to start businesses and fostered cross-disciplinary collaboration.

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Fig. 1: SPARK Taiwan outcome comparisons from 2013 to 2023.
Fig. 2: SPARK Taiwan’s impact on the biotechnology ecosystem from 2013 to 2023.

References

  1. Chen, C. J., Tsai, M. L. & Huang, H. W. Discussion on the biotechnology industry, health insurance and education—Taiwan’s next steps: an interview with Chen Chien-Jen. Science Monthly https://www.scimonth.com.tw/archives/4002 (1 April 2016).

  2. Lin, J. & Chen, T. Summary of NRPB phased task achievements. Global Bio & Investment https://news.gbimonthly.com/tw/magazine/article_show.php?num=18250&page=1&category=&kw=NRPB (2017).

  3. Soo, W. Interview: Whaijen Soo, managing director, Supra Integration and Incubation Center (Si2C), Taiwan. PharmaBoardroom https://pharmaboardroom.com/interviews/interview-whaijen-soo-managing-director-supra-integration-and-incubation-center-si2c-taiwan/ (1 April 2016).

  4. National Science and Technology Council. Biotechnology industry luminary passes away – Dr. Whaijen Soo of Taiwan Supra Integration and Incubation Center dies. https://www.nstc.gov.tw/folksonomy/detail/5afeee3f-3e10-4130-ab95-bb13bdaa4695?l=ch (22 May 2015).

  5. National Science and Technology Council. SPARK Taiwan program. https://www.nstc.gov.tw/folksonomy/detail/1d3ac981-f26c-47bc-b7a8-8dd7c4fa1b98?l=en (12 August 2022).

  6. National Science and Technology Council. Introduction to SPARK Taiwan. https://exp.stpi.narl.org.tw/project/SPARK/subPage/index?id=f4a1bdd5-3093-4f60-b369-64652e7a61fd (accessed 6 July 2024).

  7. Ministry of Economic Affairs. Amendment of the Act for the Development of Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry passed, leading the industry to new heights. https://www.moea.gov.tw/Mns/populace/news/News.aspx?kind=1&menu_id=40&news_id=98287 (accessed 15 July 2024).

  8. SPARK Stanford. SPARK publishes manuscript in Nature Biotechnology. https://sparkmed.stanford.edu/spark-publishes-manuscript-in-nature-biotechnology/ (16 February 2024).

  9. Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs. Biotechnology Industry in Taiwan (2015 to 2023).

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Acknowledgements

SPARK Taiwan is supported by the National Science and Technology Council. The authors extend their sincere gratitude to the 2012–2023 Directors General of the Department of Life Sciences at NSTC (T.-H. Young, H.-C. Chen, W.-J. Chuang, S.-J. S. Tsai and J.-J. Chiu) for their steadfast support, and give special thanks to C.-Y. Liu for her continual administrative support. The authors are grateful to SPARK Stanford co-directors D. Mochly-Rosen and K. Grimes and to SPARK Global for their long-term collaboration. Also, a heartfelt thank you to all the SPARK program principal investigators, program managers, coaches and industrial advisors at each of the affiliated universities and the SPARK Taiwan team — P.-J. Chao, Y.-Y. Mei, I.-C. Chou, C.-H. Yin, L. H. Teo, and J. S. Chen — for their dedication over the past decade. They also extend their gratitude to the projects that established the translational medicine infrastructure before SPARK Taiwan, paving the way for its success, as well as to the countless individuals who have contributed to its progress and leadership.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SPARK Taiwan Program, Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center, National Institutes of Applied Research, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ting-Fang Lo, Yi-Chih Huang, Nai-Yu Cho & Yufeng Jane Tseng

  2. Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yufeng Jane Tseng

  3. Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yufeng Jane Tseng

  4. School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yufeng Jane Tseng

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  1. Ting-Fang Lo
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  2. Yi-Chih Huang
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  3. Nai-Yu Cho
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  4. Yufeng Jane Tseng
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Yufeng Jane Tseng.

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Lo, TF., Huang, YC., Cho, NY. et al. SPARK Taiwan: a decade of insights in adapting US translational medicine and commercialization methods.
Nat Biotechnol 43, 647–650 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-025-02630-y

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  • Published: 14 April 2025

  • Issue Date: April 2025

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-025-02630-y

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