Industrial Technology Research Institute

ITRI held the 2021 ITRI Laureate Ceremony and Forum to honor new laureates and discuss strategies for Taiwan in achieving net zero carbon emissions, which will be one of the biggest challenges facing the world over the coming three decades. The five newly named laureates include Macronix International Chairman and CEO Miin Wu, MediaTek Vice Chairman and CEO Rick Tsai, ITRI Advanced Research Advisory Committee Chair Cheng Wu, National Taiwan University College of Medicine Professor of Internal Medicine Pan-Chyr Yang, and Onward Therapeutics Chairman and CEO Grace Yeh.

ROC President Tsai Ing-wen personally bestowed medals and plaques to the five new laureates, praising them for their outstanding performance in different fields. Dr. Miin Wu, for instance, introduced digital transformation to semiconductor manufacturing process 30 years ago. Dr. Rick Tsai made substantial contributions to industries such as semiconductor, IC design, and electronic communications over the past 40 years. With enormous experiences in the ICT industry, Mr. Cheng Wu started businesses successfully for four times, creating hundreds of billions of dollars market value. Dr. Pan-Chyr Yang, a leading researcher for lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan, has been dedicated to the genetic research of lung cancer and precision medicine. Dr. Grace Yeh, the first female ITRI Laureate, developed the drug for pancreatic cancer which was the first Taiwanese cancer drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. President Tsai congratulated the laureates and hoped that they can provide insights in promoting green energy, industrial transformation, and net zero carbon emissions, helping the government formulate solutions to these issues.

In the ceremony, ITRI Chairman Chih-Kung Lee pointed out that ITRI has long invested in forward-looking technology R&D, and it has won R&D 100 Awards for 14 consecutive years. This year ITRI was on the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators List for the fifth time, making it the most awarded R&D institution in Asia. He believes that with strong innovation capacity, ITRI will continue to work closely with ITRI Laureates and help industries in Taiwan innovate and stay competitive.

Following the ceremony was the Laureate Forum, which focused on what different sectors can do to address net zero carbon emissions. The session was hosted by ITRI President Edwin Liu and joined by ITRI Laureates including Stan Shih, Chintay Shih, Yuan-Teh Lee, Hsing-Shih Chen, Matthew Miao, Chen-Tung Yang, Rick Tsai, Pan-Chyr Yang, and Miin Wu. Dr. Liu noted that while many may consider that net zero emissions will increase operational costs for companies, he sees this as a great opportunity to create new markets and industrial growth. The laureates agreed that as an export-oriented economy, Taiwan must work together with the world in moving toward net zero emissions, and that the government and enterprises should aggressively invest in this transition as soon as possible.