Taiwanese institute and UK's NPL reach semiconductor agreement
They agree to joint research, personnel exchanges and co-development of emerging technologies.
The partnership between Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) aims to secure leadership in international standards, while reducing industry costs and enhancing competitiveness.
This follows the establishment of the ITRI UK office in May this year.
ITRI President Edwin Liu says, 'Building on existing collaborations with the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult) and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult) in compound semiconductors and energy, the new partnership with NPL will advance pre-standardisation research in semiconductors, advanced materials and key measurement technologies.
'The collaboration will promote global measurement standard consistency through technical exchanges, inter-laboratory comparisons, standard setting and personnel training, connecting Taiwan-UK research resources to help industries jointly explore global markets.'
ITRI operates Taiwan's National Measurement Laboratory, which maintains the nation's highest measurement standards. These services underpin a testing market valued at over NT$20 billion annually. Over the years, ITRI and NPL have collaborated closely to harmonise their national quality systems with international standards.
UK National Technology Adviser Dave Smith stated that the semiconductor industry is at the core of global progress, and Taiwan and the UK already have a solid foundation of scientific research cooperation.
