While many initiatives focus on nurturing master's and doctoral talent for the biotech sector, the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) has chosen to start much earlier—sowing the seeds with elementary and high school students. Allen Wu, Executive Director of IBMI, believes that the rapid advancement of AI technology has propelled humanity into a "hyper-accelerated" era. To thrive in this century’s global competition, resources must be invested a generation ahead. The most urgent task now is to cultivate talent for the industries of the future.
Wu emphasizes the value of exposing students to industry early, rather than waiting until they’ve entered the workforce to realize they’ve chosen the wrong path. Many people pursue popular majors only to discover after graduation that the work doesn’t align with their interests, leading to painful career shifts. Providing students with opportunities to experience real-world industry settings in high school—or even earlier—through hands-on practice and direct engagement with companies, enables them to make more grounded decisions about their futures and better leverage their strengths.
Since 2021, IBMI has hosted the “Physician Power Challenge—Clinical Skills Training Classroom” during the Medical Taiwan exhibition. This program invites elementary, middle, and high school students to participate in immersive sessions covering clinical medical testing, human anatomy, laparoscopic suturing techniques, surgical knotting practice, emergency tracheal intubation, 3D medical imaging of the universe, nasogastric tube insertion, nursing clinical skills, traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic methods, animal disease diagnostics, and basic veterinary surgical techniques. Due to overwhelming interest, the newly launched Healthy Ageing Tech Show in 2024 also incorporated these programs.
“The goal of involving elementary students is to spark curiosity and plant the seed of good knowledge. For high school students, it’s about awakening their medical potential and identifying the next generation of key talent,” said Wu. Esther Yang, Director of Industry Collaboration at IBMI, recalled the challenges faced when first trying to recruit high school participants.
Yang explained that while elementary students could treat the experience as a fun exploration, high schoolers needed intellectually stimulating and substantive experiences that would turn the program into a serious endeavor—only then could their potential be meaningfully cultivated.
To that end, IBMI knocked on the doors of high schools across the country, encouraging teachers to lead student participation. As a result, the tour buses seen at the medical technology exhibition weren’t filled with temple pilgrimage groups or corporate visitors, but with students from southern Taiwan high schools coming to compete.
Yang noted that after observing demonstrations from hospitals and biotech companies at the exhibition, student teams would go on to develop their own research projects and design products for competition. Their work was evaluated by department chairs from 13 medical schools across Taiwan. Over the past four years, many impressive projects have emerged, showcasing the remarkable creativity of high schoolers. One student from Taipei First Girls' High School, for example, went on to enroll in National Taiwan University’s medical school, with a research project inspired by her earlier competition entry.
According to IBMI, between 2021 and 2024, its medical technology exploration and clinical skill experience programs have reached more than 75,000 high school students. Across over 160 high schools in Taiwan, nearly 800 teams—comprising more than 3,000 students—have participated in the High School Medical Technology Innovation Competition.
Wu stresses that innovation must be grounded in real-world application to deliver true value. In addition to nurturing high school students, IBMI has also taken concrete steps to empower startups aiming for global success. In 2023, the National Innovation Award initiated the formation of the “We, Innovators Investment Alliance,” attracting investment funds totaling tens of billions of NT dollars. The alliance has since gained strong support from leading financial groups including Cathay Financial Holdings, Fubon Financial, Taishin Financial, and Realtek Semiconductor.
Resource: 生策會養才 從高中生開始播種
