Best Practice of Science / Technology Parks

WTR 2014;3:55-61

OPEN ACCESS

Southern Taiwan Science Park

Shiann-Far Kung,*Ottavia, and Yi-Chuan Lin
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

1. INTRODUCTION
The Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) is established
by the government of Taiwan in the southern part of the

country which consists of two sites: Tainan Science Park and

Kaohsiung Science Park. The geographic location of Tainan
Science Park (TSP) is between Sinshih, Shanhua, and Anding
districts of Tainan City with a total area of 1043 ha (2,578 ac),

Industrial Cluster of

Hsinchu Science Park (1980)

Industrial Cluster of

Central Taiwan Science Park (2003)

Industrial Cluster of

Southern Taiwan Science Park

1996; approximately 1,613 hectares

Fig. 1. STSP and science park sites in Taiwan

*Correspondence to : Prof. Shiann-Far Kung

Department of Urban Planning, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
E-mail : kungshiannfar@gmail.comasser1967@yahoo.com
World Technopolis Review
CopyrightWorld Technopolis Association
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which
permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

while Kaohsiung Science Park (KSP) is located between

Luzhu, Gangshan, and Yong-an districts of Kaohsiung city in
the area of 570 ha (1,409 ac). National Science Council established a management body Southern Taiwan Science Park
Administration (STSPA), located in TSP to serve the tenant
firms in both sites. <Fig. 1> shows the location of STSP and
its two park sites, <Table 1> shows some basic development information.

2014 CopyrightWorld Technopolis Association

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Best Practice of Science / Technology Parks

WTR 2014;3:55-61

http://dx.doi.org/10.7165/wtr2014.3.1.55

STSP is established in 1998, it has embraced very fast

increase of investment in terms of tenant companies, as
shown in <Fig. 2>, and it is generally seen as a successful
high tech industrial development project, because the primary goal for the development of science parks in Taiwan is
to enhance the growth of high technology industries.
Table 1. Current Statistics of Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP)

Total area

1613 ha/3,987 ac
Tainan (1043 ha/2,578 ac)
Kaohsiung (570 ha/1,409 ac)

Number of firms

333 companies (June 2013)

Annual turnover

USD20.7 billion (2012)

Total number of
employees

64,876 (May 2013)

Tainan Science Park (59,230)
Kaohsiung Science Park (5,646)

However, STSPA did not satisfied with the economic-only

development model along with the fast industrial growth,
and it has been trying to give additional meanings to the science parks it operates, Kung (2014) recently reviewed the
development processes of STSP and the evolution of its
green development strategies. Indeed, STSP has devoted
to this strand of thoughts and practice further, and the new
slogan Cultivating Southern Taiwan, Positioning Globally in
2012 envision STSP aspiration to become a high-tech industrial and talent center in Asia, and at the same time, develop
businesses and create job opportunities in Southern Taiwan.
STSPA also put forward the importance of creating a better
environment by promoting environmental protection, green
technology, culture and art green production, comfortable
life, and diversified ecology. This article will briefly review
and update the ongoing development practice.

2. MAJOR INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS

According to the high technology industry sector used by
the science park official statistics in Taiwan, major contribu-

Source: Southern Taiwan Science Park, www.stsipa.gov.tw

350

333

328
308

300

284
259

241

250
221
200

200

180
159

150

129
94

100
66

47

50

29

20

/0
6
13

12
20

20

11
20

10
20

20

09

08
20

07
20

06
20

05
20

04
20

20

03

02
20

01
20

00
20

99
19

19

98

Fig. 2. Number of Tenant Firms in Southern Taiwan Science Park 1998-2013/06

Source: Southern Taiwan Science Park, www.stsipa.gov.tw

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2014 CopyrightWorld Technopolis Association

Shiann-Far Kung, and Yi-Chuan LIN, WTR3(1):55

tions of the STSPs revenues come from the optoelectronics

industry (47 companies), followed by Integrated Circuit (11
companies), and precision machinery (44 companies). Other
industries such as biotechnology (48 companies), telecommunications (11 companies), computer and peripheral (2
companies), and other industries (5 companies) contribute
smaller portion of STSPs revenue, as shown in <Table 2>.
STSPA considers there are four major high-tech industry
clusters formed in STSP:

Optoelectronics The optoelectronics cluster has reached

47 establishments as per 2012. The sector generated USD
312.8 billion in 2012, 50.03% of STSPs total revenue. The
leading company of the cluster - Chi Mei Group has established 7 fabs and OLED R&D center in STSP.
Integrated Circuits/IC As per 2012, there are 11 IC manufacturers in STSP, with the revenue of USD 267.34 billion,
comprising 42.98 % of STSPs total revenue. TSMC, UMC,

Table 2. STSPs Revenue by Its Industry Sector (2012)

Industry revenue
Industry sector

Number of companies
USD billion

Optoelectronics

47

312.86

50.30

Integrated circuits

11

267.34

42.98

Precision machinery

44

26.96

4.33

Biotechnology

48

6.47

1.04

Telecommunications

11

3.61

0.58

Computer & peripherals

1.75

0.28

Other technology industry

2.56

0.41

Other services in STSP

0.4

0.06

168

Total

621.96

100.00

Source: Southern Taiwan Science Park, www.stsipa.gov.tw

Table 3. Examples of Companies in STSP High-Tech Industry Cluster

High-tech industry cluster

Examples of companies

Integrated Circuits/IC

Hitachi, TSMC, UMC, Duratek, Tosoh Quartz Taiwan

Optoelectronics

3M, Nissan Chemical Taiwan, Chi-Mei EL, INNOLUX, Daifuku,ChipMOS,NITTO OPTICAL

Green Energy and Energy Saving

MOTECH, Gigastorage (solar cells); GIGA Ziolar (solar system components); Epilux,
Genesis (LED); E-One, Foresight (Lithium cells), K-Star, Tangeng Advanced Vehicle
(electric vehicle)

Biotechnology

G&E Herbal Biotanico (medicine); GenMont (bio-medicine); Collamatrix (regenerativemedicine); Synbio, ProMD (food biotech); MEM Dentala, ALLIANCE GLOBAL (medical devices)

Source: Southern Taiwan Science Park, www.stsipa.gov.tw

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Best Practice of Science / Technology Parks

WTR 2014;3:55-61

http://dx.doi.org/10.7165/wtr2014.3.1.55

Hitachi are among the few companies which operate in

STSP. UMC has set up its R&D Center in STSP.
Green Energy and Energy Saving This includes those
companies specializing in solar energy, LED, lithium batteries for electric hybrid cars. Some of the companies became
major worlds supplier, for example, E-One Moli Energy
Corp which is now one of the top five largest manufacturers
of lithium batteries of hybrid electric cars.
Biotechnology Biothechonology industry is one of the
core industries which contributes to the revenue of STSP.
There are 48 companies as per 2012, contributed USD 6.47
billion, 1.04 % of STSPs total revenue.
Major tenants in each of these clusters are listed in <Table 3>.
STSP invites more companies to fulfill the supply chain of each
sector to attract more companies to join the science park.

3. DEVELOPMENT DIRECTION
While the business investment and market force have
shaped the current industrial composition in the park, the
STSPA has been looking into the possibility of establishing
some additional contributions to the society in general and
persistently finding tactics to realize these thoughts industries and spatial planning that can contribute to the sustainability of the earth, a better environment for innovation, and
integration of culture and technology.

Fig. 3. STSPA

58

Green Energy and green spatial development

(Sustainability): The development plan is to encourage
firms in STSP to collaborate with industry, academia, and
research in the field of green technology, to finally reach the
goal of STSP as a green energy cluster. This development
plan is based on the research of National Energy
Technology Plan and Green Energy Industry Improvement
Plan which provide the research fund to STSP for developing green technology andapply it to practical products. The
government allocates NTD35 million (USD1.17 million) from
August 2013 August 2014 for firms in STSP to collaborate in
R&D with 1 academia or research institution. <Fig. 3-6>.
Innovation and start-up platform (increase new
innovative firms): The objective of this development plan
is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in STSP. The
execution is in a form of national competition for start-up
teams in the field of science-technology, mentored in science park incubation center. In the first competition, 243
teams registered, shortlisted into 36 teams in the final,
including 9 teams from STSP. At the moment, the application is open for the second competition, with the aim to
select 30-40 new teams. <Fig. 7>.
Integration of cultural and creative industries in
STSP (culture and creativity): As part of STSPAs vision to
create better and healthy environment, STSP is integrating
culture and creativity in its environment. STSP hosts the
extension branch of the National Museum of Prehistory and

Fig. 4. Retention Pond

2014 CopyrightWorld Technopolis Association

Shiann-Far Kung, and Yi-Chuan LIN, WTR3(1):55

also provides the land for public arts and cultural artifacts to
create fun and surprises in the technology parks. STSP also
hosts activities in the park to promote arts and culture, such
as Spring Culture and Art Festival, Experience Taiwan Hakka
Culture, STSP Arts Festival, and STSP Creative Design
Exhibition. <Fig. 8>

4. STSP MAJOR EVENTS FOR

SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATION AND
CULTURE IN 2012
In practice, STSP hosts and participates in numerous events

of various scales in accordance to the development direction

described in the previous section. A brief review of the chronicles in the STSPA official website indicates that out of the total
76 milestone activities recorded in year 2012, more than one
third (27) of the items can be regarded as events related to the
enhancement of development with sustainability, innovation
and culture, as shown in <Table 4>. These development directions have been emphasized again in the 2013 STSP
Administration prospect as dedication to the development of
Industrial clusters, commitment to sustainable development,
and promotion of culture and arts in order to make the STSP
an outstanding example in the promotion of a balanced development of high technology industries and green environment.

Fig. 5. TSMC Fab (Green Building)

Fig. 6. STSP Green Map (Source: STSPA)

Fig. 7. Commercial and Creative Center

Fig. 8. Public Art and Cultural Activity (Source: STSPA)

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Best Practice of Science / Technology Parks

WTR 2014;3:55-61

http://dx.doi.org/10.7165/wtr2014.3.1.55

Table 4. STSPs Major Events in 2012

Green technology
The Commencement of PV Equipment Installed on Courtyard of the STSP Administration Building
STSP Hope Forest Tree Plantation Activity
Seminar on the Promotion of Green Science Parks and Green Factories (at the Tainan Science Park)
Seminar on the Promotion of Green Science Parks and Green Factories (at the Kaohsiung Science Park)
Completion of Green 26 and Green 29 Green Land Construction and Pilot Plantation Engineering of Park No.6 at the
Kaohsiung Science Park
Completion of Plantation at Park No.1 of the Tainan Science Park
Official Launch of Free Shuttle Bus Services at the Kaohsiung Science Park
Completion of Construction Project 3 of LED Street Lamps at Phase 1 Site of the Tainan Science Park
UMC Wins the Special Honor of 2012 Taiwan Green Classics Awards Organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs
(MOEA)
Resource Recycling Center was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Energy Saving Award, MOEA
Seminar on Low Carbon Green Energy Subsidy Program and Planning of Innovative Product Competition Contest

- January 10
- March 27
- May 25
- May 28
- July 9
- August 9
- September 18
- September 23
- October 4
- November 1
- November 22, 2012

Innovation and start-up platform

Seminar on Applications by Colleges and Universities for Talent Cultivation Subsidies
Commencement of 2012 Professional and Technical Talent Training Project
Result Presentation of 2011 Talent Cultivation Subsidy Program at the Science Parks
Result Presentation of R&D Advancement of Industry-Academia Cooperation
The 5th Biomedical Engineering Creative Design and Production Contest
Closing Ceremony of 2012 Professional and Technical Talent Training Project
2012 Project Conclusion of Energy and Water Conservation Consultation to Park Enterprises

- February 21
- April 12
- October 24
- October 24
- October 26
- November 6
- December 7

Culture and creativity

2012 STSPs Late Spring Art and Culture Festival
Mosquito Cinema in the Summer (Outdoor movie theater) in Tainan Science Park
Mosquito Cinema in the Summer (Outdoor movie theater) in Kaohsiung Science Park
Experience Traditional Local Life in Taiwan: Hakka Culture
Completion of Art Work of Water Tower of Daoye Lake at Tainan Science Park
STSP Art Festival
STSP Creative Design Exhibition

- March 10 April 28
- August 9
- September 19
- September 1
- November 19
- December 1
- December 18-21

Other activities
Closing Ceremony of the 13th Neighborhood Cup and Fun Contest
Declaration for Releasing the White Paper on Occupational Safety at the STSP

5. THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN SCIENCE

PARK
Universities, with their professors and research teams, are
often regarded as one of the key factors to support the success of science parks. In general, universities provide human
capital needed by science park firms, they collaborate with
high technology firms in research and development activities,
they provide ideas to the science park management bodies.

60

- September 15
- November 15

However, the role of university seems to be not the same

through the course of science park development. In the case
of STSP, current situations include:
University as the provider of human capital.
University serves as the supplier of human capital for the job
market, including STSP. As per May 2013, there are 64,876
employees in STSP: 24 % with high-school degree, 16 % with
college degree, 40 % with bachelor degree, 18 % with master

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Shiann-Far Kung, and Yi-Chuan LIN, WTR3(1):55

degree, and 1 % with doctorate degree. It is obvious that

nearly 60 % of the STSP workforce are university graduates,
although there is no detailed information, the general
impression is that the majority of them are from universities
in the region.
Universities as collaborator in R&D. In the early years,
ROC government concentrated its efforts to promote R&D
activities on the high tech firms in science parks. However,
the recent trend is to promote the collaboration between
academia and industry. National Science Council, Ministry of
Economic Affairs (MOEA), and Ministry of Education (MOE)
provides fund to partially support research projects between
universities and STSP firms; Kung and Yen (2010) reviewed
the formation of medical device industrial cluster in STSP,
can be taken as one of the fruitful cases of such R&D collaborations. This new strategy has increased the amount of industry-academic R&D collaborations in Taiwan significantly.

REFERENCES
Kung, S. F. (2014) Green Development Strategies at Southern
Taiwan Science Park,in Oh, D. S. and Phillips, F. (eds.)
Technopolis: Best Practices for Science & Technology
Cites (London: Springer-Verlag) 371-386.
Kung, S. F., and Y. C. Yen. (2010) The Innovation Platform for
the Medical Device Industry in Kaohsiung Science Park,
UNESCO-WTA Workshop (3 November), Daejeon,
Korea.

Universities as consultant. Academia are often invited

to provide expert views on the policies development and
directions of science park. Most often, academia from relevant disciplines of major universities are invited as the evaluator of new investment projects. National Cheng Kung
University has been invited to operate an incubation center
in STSP for more than ten years; and in 2013, it was invited
again to assist pre-enterprise stage teams which had good
ideas to develop their businesses. With the rise of cultural
and creative industries and their mutual benefit potentials
with new technologies, STSP is going to examine the possibilities of crossing the border of science-based industries and
to allow those potential teams to reside in the spare spaces
in the commercial center Park 17 <Fig. 7>, and NCKU is
again providing consultancy services to STSPA and the teams.
Another project aiming at improving the creative and innovative environment in STSP is also being contracted to NCKU
which the author is involved.
In summary, Southern Taiwan Science Park is reacting to
the global industrial change and global concern of sustainable development with various strategies and tactics. We may
find that most important among these measures since 2010
include: the construction of green environment and green
energy industrial cluster, a more innovative climate, and the
invitation of culture and creativeactivities. NCKU and other
universities in the region are collaborating actively with
STSPA and its tenant firms in the processes of making a better future Southern Taiwan Science Park.

2014 CopyrightWorld Technopolis Association

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