Australia-Taiwan Health and Biotechnology Partnership
Australian Office, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of Economic Affairs
18 May 2023
The Australian Office, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Economic Affairs welcome our productive partnership in health, medicine and biotechnology including in areas such as clinical trials, biotechnology innovation and precision medicine, and establish a partnership to guide further cooperation.
The COVID pandemic led to a flourishing of new partnerships and global collaborations, and a renewed recognition of the crucial role of the health, medical and biotechnology industry in saving lives and improving social and economic well-being. Taiwan’s early response to COVID-19 remains a public health success story and Australia and Taiwan helped each other during the pandemic including sharing personal protective equipment and exchanging experiences and expertise.
Australia and Taiwan rank among the world’s leaders in health, medical care and biotechnology, and we share a commitment to nurturing a thriving and vibrant sector that attracts investment and collaboration.
Our partnership in health and biotechnology is long-standing and helps improve the lives of people in Australia and Taiwan in areas such as blood-based disease therapy, influenza vaccines, bionic ear implants and apnea and sleep-related disorder therapy. Numerous Taiwanese firms have conducted clinical trials in Australia and are strengthening partnerships. Australian companies participated in BioAsia Taiwan, Asia’s largest biotech conference, covering new drugs using advanced microbiome technology, cancer detection and clinical research, and Australia was a feature economy in the BioAsia Taiwan 2022 Regional Collaboration Forum. Taiwanese companies also participated in AusBiotech 2022, further building links.
This partnership provides a framework to strengthen links, increase cooperation, share experiences and explore opportunities for new investments and partnerships.
Areas of potential cooperation include:
- Australian and Taiwanese participation in annual BIOAsia – Taiwan and AusBiotech international conferences, and partnership opportunities with the Taiwan BIO Industry Organisation and the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office
- Exchanges of public information on clinical trials, R&D, patents and other incentives available to biotech, pharma and medical devices and diagnostics companies in Australia and Taiwan
- Exploring opportunities to support and grow early-stage biotech companies in Australia and Taiwan’s world-leading biomedical precincts
- Exploring investment opportunities in health and biotechnology including digital health innovation, clinical trials, medical research, and personalised and precision medicine.
- Deepening exchanges between Australian and Taiwanese universities, research institutions, and promoting industry-academic partnerships, including in areas such as novel therapeutics, blood-based disease therapy, pandemic preparedness and influenza vaccines.
Australia values Taiwan’s contributions to addressing global challenges including public health security, and we continue to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the work of the World Health Organisation and participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly. We will also continue to work with Taiwan in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) to share expertise in addressing shared challenges including health issues.
As long-standing partners with highly complementary economies and strong people-to-people links, Australia and Taiwan are natural partners in these and other areas.
We look forward to further strengthening cooperation to promote the health, wellbeing and prosperity of both our peoples.