New Southbound Policy Portal

Winners of the 2021 Presidential Hackathon were honored Dec. 26 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City, spotlighting government efforts to address societal needs through innovation, interdisciplinary cooperation and open-source data utilization.
 
During the award ceremony, President Tsai Ing-wen said the government will continue to promote public-private partnership on the development of innovative technology in making Taiwan a sustainable island of resilience.
 
Organized by the Executive Yuan under the auspices of the PO, the fourth edition of the annual competition featured domestic and international categories under the theme of “Sustainability 2.0 Resilient Islands.”
 
According to Tsai, five local teams beat out 159 other entries for prizes in the domestic track, offering solutions in energy transition and decarbonization, conservation of river and marine ecology and healthcare, which are all pressing policy priorities for Taiwan.
 
This year was also the first time the international category focused on climate action, attracting participants from 15 countries, Tsai said. Among the seven finalists, several included “hackers” from Taiwan, reflecting how the local private sector is taking real action concerning global climate issues.
 
High-profile attendees at the event included Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin; Harry Ho-jen Tseng, deputy minister of foreign affairs; Chen Shih-chung, minister of health and welfare; Audrey Tang, minister without portfolio; and Jeremy Cornforth, deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
 
Launched in 2018, the hackathon is designed to encourage data stakeholders, data scientists and field experts to work together to accelerate the optimization of public services and propose open data solutions for delivering a better and more sustainable environment worldwide. (DL-E)
 
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