TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s legislature passed a bill on Tuesday (Dec. 28) to transform the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) into a new science and technology council, which will map out and oversee the country’s overall technology development from as early as March 2022, according to a MOST press release.

Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said that technology development has become an index of national competitiveness and will continue to be so in the future.

After the transformation, the roles of the new organization will be as follows:

1. The new council will integrate the technology development and industrial applications for the whole industry spectrum, from the upstream to the downstream industries; help other government agencies conduct technology research; and help make policies regarding talent cultivation and retention.

2. The new council will strengthen inter-ministerial and cross-disciplinary communication and connection to map out technology development policies and enhance the decision-making for technology policies at the Cabinet level.

3. The new council will help the Cabinet to manage other government agencies’ technology resources, distribute their technology budgets, and improve their efficiency.

The transformation of the MOST into the new organization is being processed at full speed, and according to the current plan, the new agency will come into existence as early as March next year.