2024.04.29

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, represented by Hermes-Epitek Vice Chairman C.Y. Shu (許金榮) (left) and NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) today.

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform that will provide faculty and students at NTHU with expert guidance in areas such as business insight and strategic layout, making it easier to overcome the hurdles encountered in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
 
Universities in Taiwan have developed many innovative technologies with commercial potential. Through systematic collaboration, these will take root in Taiwan's ecosystem, generating value for academia, businesses, and technology.
 
This cooperative arrangement will provide NTHU faculty and students with opportunities to receive guidance for key areas of scientific research, making it possible to develop high-value technologies.
 
Based on his experience starting a medical technology business in the United States, NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) said he is well aware of the ups and downs of new ventures. He said that among the keys to success for a startup are talented personnel, a suitable market, sufficient funding, innovative thinking, adequate infrastructure, and regulatory support.
 
NTHU's advantage lies in its cutting-edge research power and personnel, while Hermes-Epitek has operational resources, commercialization experience, market sensitivity, and a professional team. This alliance will generate synergies for academic resources, business operations, and Taiwan's industrial upgrading.
 
The NTHU Hermes-Epitek Startup Platform enables faculty and students with entrepreneurial ambitions to evaluate technology, validate business assumptions, and expedite product development. This systematic approach facilitates communication with investors, ensuring timely feedback and support.
 
Hermes-Epitek Vice Chairman C.Y. Shu (許金榮) pointed out that the startup platform supports the step-by-step commercialization of forward-looking technologies developed at NTHU. In addition to developing semiconductors, optoelectronics, and biomedical technologies and services, Hermes-Epitek has long been an active investor in research and development. Their goal is to expand Taiwan's technological footprint through collaborative efforts.
 
Po-Wen Chiu (邱博文), Vice President for Research and Development at NTHU, said that Hermes-Epitek has recently joined the Operations Center for Industry Collaboration. The company will soon begin holding regular matchmaking meetings with newly formed startup teams and providing expert advice on research and entrepreneurial strategies.
 
According to statistics from the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, only one percent of new companies in Taiwan remain in business after five years. They typically close down as soon as initial funding is used up without generating a substantial profit.
 
Chiu said that the cooperative arrangement between Hermes-Epitek and NTHU will provide researchers with managerial assistance and guidance in connecting with markets, both of which are essential for increasing a startup's chances of survival.
 
Chiu said that startups at NTHU will apply for grants from sources such as the National Science Council's From IP to IPO program, the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Technology Development Program for Academia, and the National Development Council's Startup Island TAIWAN program.
 
In fact, NTHU and Hermes-Epitek have already established a solid partnership by cooperating in fields such as semiconductors and biomedicine, making use of technology transfer and spin-off innovation. For example, in 2017, NTHU and Hermes-Epitek joined forces in establishing the Heron Neutron Medical Corporation to develop and market an innovative cancer treatment using Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT).
 
Heron President Hsiao-Lien Shen (沈孝廉) said that BNCT is a cross-field technology that integrates nuclear physics, thermal fluidics, dosimetry, pharmacokinetics, radiation biology, and other disciplines. NTHU provided the cross-disciplinary expertise required for laying the foundation for this technology, while Heron further developed the technology's clinical applications, leading to the establishment of Taiwan's first hospital-based BNCT facility.

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, represented by Hermes-Epitek Vice Chairman C.Y. Shu (許金榮) (left) and NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) today.

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, represented by Hermes-Epitek Vice Chairman C.Y. Shu (許金榮) (left) and NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) today.

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, with executives from both sides attending the signing ceremony.

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, with executives from both sides attending the signing ceremony.

NTHU reached an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform, with executives from both sides attending the signing ceremony.

NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) signed an agreement with Hermes-Epitek to establish a startup platform today.

Hermes-Epitek Vice Chairman C.Y. Shu (許金榮) signed an agreement with NTHU to establish a startup platform today.

Po-Wen Chiu (邱博文), Vice President for Research and Development at NTHU, presented the mechanism of the startup platform.

Heron President Hsiao-Lien Shen (沈孝廉) presented on BNCT.