TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Revenue for Taiwan’s science parks rose at the fastest clip in eight years during the first half of the year, with a growth rate of 15% possible for the whole of 2021, reports said Monday (Sept. 13).

According to data from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the total revenue of three major science parks reached NT$1.71 trillion (US$61.83 billion) for January-June 2021, a rise of 25.2% compared to the same period last year, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

With business booming for the semiconductor sector, growth is highly likely to continue, with NT$3.48 trillion possible for the whole year, a rise of 15% from 2020.

The science parks' exports during the first six months of 2021 were 22.6% percent higher than the same period last year at NT$1.27 trillion, and employment rose to 295,003 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Even sectors that underperformed last year, such as precision machinery, optoelectronics, and telecommunications, have seen a sharp turn for the better, officials said.

Projects for science parks in Chiayi and Pingtung are proceeding according to plan, with the Cabinet scheduled to receive a blueprint next month and groundbreaking expected in 2023.