Introduction

With the prevalence of internet application, digital economy has grown rapidly under the foundation of internet, broadband, mobile applications, informational technology service, software and hardware. Beside, The digital economy has deepened into the global economy as a key factor driving the global economic growth, and it also has led to great impact and changes in the whole society, economy, social interaction and work. The scope of application includes establishment of IT-based operation, R&D of virtualized products and service, development of digitalized financial transaction and e-commerce, and the value of digital economy is enhanced through the introduction of digital innovative technologies in various industries. This not only shortens the distance among the global participants but also opens a new type of economic system that leads the global industry to cross-generation, cross-border, cross-domain, and click-and-mortar direction. The digital economy referred to in this project is based on the definition of digital economy defined by the UK government and OECD, “digital economy refers to the economic activities driven by the digital industry as well as the digital technology-based innovative activities in the digitalization of industry, such as new business models and new consumption patterns.”

To help the industries to introduce digital innovation and increase value of digital economy, this action plan will focus on five directions: digital culture and creativity, data economy, digital e-commerce, software and hardware integration, digital base, and bring together inter-ministerial resources. For the digital culture and creativity, this plan will assist the industries in the development of emerging applications with virtual reality integration by applying cultural creativity and combining virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and Internet of Things (IoTs) to accelerate content innovation and development of digital innovative industry. For data economy, this plan will promote interdisciplinary data exchange and guide enterprises to use data to develop derived value-added services.  

For digital e-commerce, this plan will promote electronic payment and mobile payment, strengthen the international market expansion mechanism for industries and improve the environment for digital e-commerce development. Software and hardware integration will accelerate the exchange between the domestic startup teams and international community, promote digital service innovation, and incubate flagship teams with the capacity to output the software and hardware integration service internationally. For digital base, this plan will introduce interfaced cloud, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and big data technology through the national-level cloud computation shared R&D service platform and move to digital 4.0 smart life.

Promotional Strategies

1. Digital culture and creativity
   • Promote the sound development of cultural industries through technological tools: this action plan hopes to encourage interdisciplinary integration development, strengthen cultural-based-technology innovation, create international connection, develop good channels, improve industrial environment and achieve the goal of boosting culture and economy through establishing an incentive and counseling mechanism, encouraging youth entrepreneurship, improving art supporting system and technology integration/application, assisting IP production and application through interdisciplinary matching.
   • Develop diversified digital content and innovative applications: develop digital cultural and creative content, and promote the leap of Taiwan’s digital economy.
2. Data economy
   • Create data application atmosphere and develop data economy value-added services: in the IOTs age, ubiquitous data information, including network device data and human behavior data, will become a key for developing emerging service in the future. In the face of global trend, we will use different promotional practice and integrate the resources and strength of each domain to achieve the objectives of this action plan.
   • Guide the transformation of the existing industry to provide data service: invite the government agencies, public associations and data service application suppliers-and-demands to form industrial alliances, integrate data service application from policy side and industrial side, jointly promote data service application, improve the competitiveness of Taiwan’s information service industry, accelerate the sound environment for data service industry through alliance, form data service industrial chains and promote the development of information service technology solution.
3. Digital e-commerce
   • Promote cross-border e-commerce and develop international business opportunities:In order to strengthen the international development of e-commerce, develop western and southern market, and make Taiwan the Asia-Pacific hub, we follow the following three strategies: enhancing cross-border preparedness, promoting Taiwan brand in western market, forming clusters for southern market.
   • Provide convenient financial and technical service: continue to meet the demand and business development trend, conduct rolling review and amend relevant regulations, create a friendly environment for development; complete the infrastructure of electronic payment tools in Taiwan and accelerate the integration and popularization of terminal equipment; support the financial institutions to use mobile devices as a vehicle to promote mobile payment and expand application and innovation; increase the public sectors’businesses and medical institutions’ usage of electronic payment & mobile payment services ; assist enterprises in introducing & using mobile payment; study and formulate the Regulations Governing Financial Technology(FINTECH) Innovation and Experiment so that the industry can test its financial innovation products, business, business model and supply mechanism in a safe and secured environment (so call sand box).
   • Popularize and promote small and medium enterprise (SME) mobile payment: mobile payment has important impact on the development of SMEs. The promotion will be focused on consumer goods industrial chains in the following fields: livelihood consumption, public services, transportation, leisure-and-tourism, medical institutions, campus and cultural exhibition.Popularize the scope of application and scenarios of smart consumption so that the small and medium enterprises can provide clients with payment service and have accurate understanding of consumer behavior to effectively establish loyal customers.
4. Software and hardware integration
   • Accelerate the exchange between domestic startup teams and international communities: focus of the work include counseling mechanism for startups, assistance in international exhibitions and exposure, cross-border cooperation for business opportunities, introduction of well-known innovation and entrepreneurship courses, integration of ministerial resources at home and abroad, active connection with international advanced technology clusters, introduction of international innovative technology, innovative talent and investment funds. Meanwhile, establish a comprehensive soft-landing mechanism in Taiwan to increase the incentives for international teams to come to Taiwan.
   • Promote digital service innovation: the focus of the work include activating equity crowdfunding platforms, studying and promoting programs related to innovative application services.
   • Incubate flagship teams with the capacity to output software and hardware integration service internationally: anchor on smart city, encourage integration of different industries and build vertical area service models, create domestic solutions for business opportunities, encourage cooperation of big manufacturers in different industries through combination of the resources of public associations and counseling services to form data service flagship teams capable of software and hardware integration.
5. Digital base
   • Construct national level AI R&D and cloud service infrastructure: the focus of the work include setting up data-centric AI and big data high-speed computing platform, completing network information security protection and energy-saving electromechanical air-conditioning, and cultivating the domestic R&D and production capacity of high performance computing (HPC) system.
   • Develop the software/hardware technology and service of forward-looking smart application: including construction of management system of cloud infrastructure facilities, integration of data sets, AI software and application packages, support of forward-looking AI research and assistance in AI chip R&D.
   • Bridge AI ecosystem to industrial application and talent cultivation: including cultivating the capacity of open innovation application, encouraging innovative service, supporting the transformation and upgrading of existing industry by AI and cloud technology, supporting the Promotion of Industry, Academia and Research links and Cultivation of Forward-looking Talent program of Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education, supporting AI technology and application, IoT technology and application and cultivation of information security talent.