TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's premier research institution, Academia Sinica (中央研究院), launched its inaugural AS Conferences (中研學術大會) on Monday (June 30), establishing a new platform to showcase cutting-edge research achievements, stimulate cross-disciplinary collaboration, and strengthen scientific community bonds. During the opening ceremony, President James C. Liao (廖俊智) delivered a comprehensive keynote address that mapped out three ambitious developmental trajectories for the institution's future.
In his address, Liao emphasized the institution's three-pronged commitment: establishing Academia Sinica as a global research powerhouse, meeting critical societal responsibilities, and recruiting world-class scientific talent — all guided by the institutional motto "Ambitious wisdom." Central to these goals is the innovative "Dual Personnel Arrows Project" (人事雙箭), a strategic talent management initiative. The first component focuses on attracting promising early-career "non-tenured" researchers with flexible 5+5-year employment terms, while the second element, called Second Tenure, creates pathways for accomplished senior scientists aged 60-63 to extend their service, potentially remaining until age 70.
The institution actively fosters a research environment that embraces exploratory, curiosity-driven, and problem-oriented scientific inquiry across disciplines. This approach has yielded measurable results, with Academia Sinica researchers significantly increasing their publication rates in prestigious scientific journals including Cell, Nature, and Science in recent years. Beyond pure scientific advancement, the institution has strategically positioned itself in mission-oriented research domains such as quantum computing, net-zero technology, and nucleic acid therapy to address pressing societal challenges, creating seamless pathways from fundamental scientific discovery to practical applications.
During his remarks, Liao characterized the newly established AS Conferences as embodying a forward-looking vision for scientific exploration while simultaneously addressing urgent contemporary challenges, from neurodegenerative diseases affecting Taiwan's aging population to complex global geopolitical issues with scientific dimensions. The conference framework, he noted, will serve as a vital platform for Academia Sinica to demonstrate and reinforce its dual commitment to groundbreaking scientific innovation and meaningful societal impact across multiple domains. ◼