In order to promote cooperation in digital technology with the United Kingdom (UK), Deputy Minister Huai-Jen Lee of the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda) led a delegation, including Director General Jang-Hwa Leu of the  Administration for Digital Industries (adi), to visit the United Kingdom (UK) from August 13th to 19th, to learn about UK regulations in the promotion of dedicated spectrum and to discuss the enhancement of bilateral cooperation in the promotion of smart city innovations, digital transformation, and AI innovations and applications.

Deputy Minister Lee said that the UK is a leading Country in promoting digital development and transformation. In the spirit of promoting cooperation and active learning, the moda delegation visited Ofcom, which formulates spectrum policy, Innovate UK, which leads policy to support business innovation, and Connected Places Catapult, which implements smart city innovative development plans. The delegation also visited Smart Internet Lab, Digital Future Institute, and the Bristol Research and Innovation Laboratory at the University of Bristol to understand how they develop forward-looking networking and Internet of Things technologies to promote cross-domain digital applications, which will provide more reference for the adi on how to utilize AI to facilitate digital transformation and promote digital innovation and development. In addition, the delegation exchanged views with a number of UK-based Taiwanese start-up companies specializing in AI development, and those companies affirmed the " Talent Circulation Exchange Program " overseas internships and the Taiwan Employment Gold Card promoted by moda fully demonstrates the government's efforts in actively assisting the exchange between Taiwan and the United Kingdom's digital industries and talents.

Director General Leu further pointed out that both Taiwan and the United Kingdom have a central government-assisted local program to promote smart cities. The United Kingdom has already started a cross-country city matching program, and has been selecting cities for cooperation with Korea and Australia, etc. After thorough exchanges with the Innovate UK, there are opportunities to promote bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and UK. The Innovate UK has a well-established cross-country program which can help Taiwan link up with countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The delegation has also invited Innovate UK to visit Taiwan during the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo, in the hope of stimulating more digital innovation applications and exploring collaboration opportunities.

The delegation also visited Ofcom, which indicated that it is promoting dedicated networks in the 3.8-3.9GHz public network band. However, Taiwan has started to accept applications from enterprises to set up dedicated 5G networks in June this year. As such, the delegation shared the progress and results of the dedicated 5G networks for enterprises. The delegation visited Genenet Technology, a biotechnology startup company established by Taiwanese entrepreneurs in the UK, which is a partner of our country's "Talent Circulation Exchange Program". Through this program, four Taiwanese students were matched for exchange. Deputy Minister Lee expressed gratitude to the company for its support of Taiwan's talent development program. He also cheered on the students who are currently interning, hoping that they can enhance their digital knowledge and practical experience through this internship. He emphasized that the Ministry of Digital Affairs will continue to enhance its efforts to cultivate more outstanding talents in the digital field for Taiwan's future.

Additionally, during this visit, the delegation engaged with some of the UK's foremost research institutions, including the Smart Internet Lab and the Bristol Digital Future Institute established by the University of Bristol. The Bristol area is one of the largest 5G and innovation application fields in the UK. Discussions were held on potential collaborations in the domains of 5G network communication and smart cities, including the possibility of joint laboratories. Furthermore, discussions were also conducted with the Bristol Research and Innovation Laboratory on collaborative development of smart city infrastructure and application services. These discussions provide valuable insights and references for our country's strategies to utilize AI for promoting digital transformation and fostering innovation and development in the digital field. 

The Ministry of Digital Affairs aims to strengthen its ties with the United Kingdom through various mechanisms, including industry collaboration and talent exchange, in order to create more opportunities for bilateral industrial exchanges between Taiwan and UK. In the future, the Ministry of Digital Affairs will actively plan and promote digital policies that are tangible for citizens, facilitate business transformation, and enhance economic development. This effort is aimed at building a solid and sustainable democratic value chain that benefits all.