TAIWAN-CHINA-MILITARY-DEMO
Taiwan and the Philippines agreed to continue promoting scientific research cooperation in healthcare, agriculture, talent training and disaster prevention at the 10th Deputy Ministerial Joint Science and Technology Committee meeting, and planned to launch the third phase of the HAT program in 2027. The picture shows the bilateral scientific research cooperation.

[TAIPEI, Oct. 27] Taiwan and the Philippines will continue to expand scientific and technological cooperation, with the third phase of the Healthcare, Agriculture and Talent Training (HAT) program scheduled to begin in 2027. The initiative will focus on advanced agriculture and healthcare technology applications. The two sides will also continue scholarship and joint research programs to promote exchanges among researchers.

According to a Central News Agency report, the 10th Taiwan-Philippines Joint Committee on Science and Technology met on Oct. 26 in Daya City, Philippines. The meeting was co-chaired by National Science and Technology Council Deputy Minister Chen Ping-yu and a Philippine undersecretary for science and technology.

The meeting reviewed the results of existing research cooperation programs and exchanged views on future research priorities. The NSTC said Taiwan and the Philippines are geographically close and both occupy important positions in the Asia-Pacific, while facing similar challenges involving climate change, extreme weather and public health. These conditions provide a strong basis for expanding scientific cooperation, it said.

Current cooperation covers four main areas: volcano, ocean, typhoon and earthquake research (VOTE); healthcare, agriculture and talent training (HAT); the Taiwan-Philippines Joint Research Program (JRP); and the Taiwan-Philippines Sandwich Scholarship Program (SSP).

Under the HAT program, the two sides agreed to launch its third phase in 2027, with an emphasis on practical applications of advanced agriculture and healthcare technologies. They also approved this year's call for bilateral research proposals and discussed the priorities and timetable for next year's call.

In talent development, Taiwan and the Philippines agreed to continue the sandwich scholarship program, giving young Filipino researchers opportunities to undertake advanced research in Taiwan and strengthening exchanges between research institutions and universities on both sides.

Disaster-prevention science is another focus of the cooperation. The two sides agreed to center the next phase on cross-border comparative disaster research and launch the fourth phase of the VOTE program from 2028, further strengthening the application of research findings in real-world settings and their contribution to societal disaster resilience.

Taiwan and the Philippines are both located in the earthquake-prone western Pacific region, where typhoons are also frequent. Volcanoes, earthquakes, heavy rainfall and changes in the marine environment can all affect residents' lives and infrastructure. Through joint research, data sharing and talent training, the two sides are expected to deepen their understanding of natural disasters and public health issues.

However, the practical results of the cooperation will still depend on research funding, cross-border data sharing, arrangements for researcher exchanges and the extent to which results are put into practice. Whether scientific findings can be translated into tangible improvements in healthcare, agriculture and disaster prevention will be an important measure of the partnership's value.