ITRI's Overseas Offices
ITRI's overseas offices in the United States, Japan,
Russia, and Germany
can work with prospective technology partners to find the best
ways to proceed and to contact the right parties in Taiwan. Working
closely with the International Program Center
(IPC) in the Taiwan headquarters, they strive to expand the
technology front of ITRI and Taiwanese industries.
ITRI, Inc., an ITRI subsidiary, is located in San Jose, California. Strategically
situated at the heart of the Silicon Valley, ITRI, Inc. is in
a good position to monitor the latest technology trends. In line
with ITRI's emphasis on advanced and innovative R&D, ITRI,
Inc. strives to provide timely industrial and technological information
to help mapping strategies, setting research directions and identifying
cooperation opportunities.
To enhance ITRI's R&D capacities and promote its visibility on the world
stage, ITRI, Inc. has engineered collaborations with prestigious
universities, such as, MIT , Stanford, UCLA, and the Georgia Institute
of Technology. ITRI, Inc has also undertaken a wide range of joint
projects in electronics, bio-medicine, micro-electromechanical
Systems (MEMS), packaging, and nanotechnology.
In line with industrial needs in Taiwan, ITRI, Inc. has helped
ITRI enter into alliances with distinguished companies, such as
the Rockwell Science Center, Dow Chemical, Symyx Technologies
Inc., Draper Labs, and the National Research Council of Canada
(NRC), to jointly develop LCD compensators, electronics materials,
combinatorial chemistry, chemical sensors, and semi-solid forming
technologies, thereby enhancing Taiwan's industrial competitiveness
in world markets.
Dr.Li-Chung Lee, President
email: lclee@itri.com
ITRI's Tokyo office was established in 1987. It devotes considerable effort
to collecting technical information from Japan. By facilitating
frequent interactions between Taiwan and Japan, it has also played
an important role in promoting closer ties between the two countries.
More recently, in line with ITRI's international outreach effort, the office
has stepped up efforts to explore opportunities for technology
transfers and collaborations. In 1999-2000, it achieved notable
results in the areas of material science and chemical engineering.
A case in point was the licensing of NTT's Advanced Technology
Corp. MU optical connector technology to Taiwan firms through
ITRI. Another example is that ITRI developed high-precision photo
etching technology with the help of Japan's Industrial Technology
Consulting Inc. Yet another example is the collaboration between
ITRI and Japan's Kansai Research Institute to develop inorganic
material and catalyst technologies.
Prior to the Asian financial crisis, Most Japanese companies
viewed Taiwan as potential rivals and were reluctant to transfer
technology. Nowadays some large Japanese enterprises have changed
their attitudes and are eager to investigate opportunities for
cooperation with Taiwan, and the ITRI-Tokyo Office is working
hard toward their fruition.
Dr. Kuo-Chang Su, Representative
email: kcsu@mb.kcom.ne.jp
ITRI's Moscow office was inaugurated in November 1995 to facilitate R&D
cooperation with Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) institutions
and companies. The Moscow office seeks to connect the scientific-engineering
capabilities of CIS with the application-market strength of Taiwan
in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
A notable example was its collaboration with the Russian Academy of Sciences(RAS).
Following a visit by RAS Vice President and Nobel Laureate Alferov
to Taiwan in year 2000, RAS and ITRI entered into several joint
R&D projects covering new laser diodes, VCSELs and nano-materials.
Ioffe Institute and Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics
(IPCP) are the two most important principals on the RAS side.
The Moscow office also worked vigorously to strengthen ties with
technology centers in Ukraine, as exemplified by the following
cases. One is a joint development on super-capacitors between
Ukrane's ACER and ITRI. Another is the introduction of a light-guided
temperature detection system for induction furnaces from the National
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences to Taiwan's Metal Industries Research
and Development Center.
Dr.-Ing, Liang-Han Hsieh, Representative
email: Lhsieh@itri.de
The Berlin office was established in 1996, initially with machinery industry
as its center of attention. The Mechanical Industry Research Laboratories
of ITRI remains an active sponsor of this office, , which has
expanded to materials, logistics, nanotechnology and biotechnology
in the past 3 years, thanks to successful integration and recruitment
of diverse talents in Europe.
The office collaborated with, among others, the Fraunhofer Institute in developing
the "Electrode-less Nickel Bumping Process" to enhance
electronic and optoelectronics packaging technologies. It was
also instrumental in bringing high-speed metal-cutting technologies
developed at Darmstadt University to ITRI. In addition to serving
ITRI, the Western Europe Office also provides assistance to Taiwanese
business entities. These efforts have resulted in the transfer
of Zinc Air Battery technology from Germany's Chem TeK and e-commerce-related
technology from Muhlbauer to Taiwanese companies.
Located in the geographical center in Europe, the Berlin Office
is in an ideal position to access eastern Europe. This office
also keeps an eye on new technology sources and R&D partners
in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland. This coincides with the
expansion of the European Union as a whole.
Dr.-Ing, Liang-Han Hsieh, Representative
email: Lhsieh@itri.de
The International Program Center (IPC) at ITRI's Headquarters
in Taiwan communicates regularly with the overseas offices in
the United States, Japan,
Russia, and Germany to smooth their coordination with the headquarters and Taiwan's industries. They work with prospective international partners to identify common goals and develop the best approaches to pursue them. IPC arranges meetings and seminars with local industry and contacts the appropriate resources to pursue specific projects. Through a contract with the Ministry of Economical Affairs, IPC is actively involved in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) activities, including organizing workshops, offering ITRI and local industry an additional channel to reach out to the APEC/ASEAN countries.
The IPC and ITRI's four international offices actively seek out partners both for specific technologies and for new opportunities that can complement ITRI's core expertise. They represent the frontline of ITRI's R&D Internationalization Program.
Mr. Jason C. S. Hsu, Director
Email: JHSU@itri.org.tw
