TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced a joint Taiwan-Czech semiconductor research center as part of a partnership to bolster supply chain resilience.

The Advanced Chip Design Research Center, led by Taiwan’s National Applied Research Laboratories, aims to assist the Czech Republic in enhancing its semiconductor industry capabilities, CNA reported. The center will help train professionals in chip design. An opening ceremony took place in June and the facility will officially open in October.

The bilateral effort also includes a Supply Chain Resilience Research Center (SCRC), the Scholarship for Mastery of Strategic Key Technologies (SMSKT), and a Business Opportunities Promotion Plan (BOEP).

Charles University and National Chengchi University will jointly manage the SCRC and will facilitate research in trade and technology related to supply chains, MOFA said.

Under the tech scholarship program, Czech students are provided scholarships to study in Taiwan, focusing on key technologies such as semiconductors, MOFA said. Over the past two years, 56 Czech students have participated in short-term training and degree programs.

To kickstart the Business Opportunities Promotion Plan, the two countries established two offices to foster bilateral economic ties and promote awareness of Czech industries and culture in Taiwan. CzechInvest opened its Taipei office in May, and the Czech Center Taipei held its opening ceremony in June. 

Taiwan has been strengthening technology links with central Europe in recent years. In Slovakia, it is helping set up a power module laboratory for automotive applications and co-developing special semiconductor chips for electric vehicles. In Lithuania, it is establishing a semiconductor chip design center, an 8-inch wafer fab, and packaging and testing facilities.