Universities prepare for new rules on start-ups

Taiwan’s leading universities are stepping up research efforts and drawing up regulations as the ministry of education prepares to propose an amendment that would allow them to launch start-ups to manage research products, writes Wu Po-hsuan for the Taipei Times.

The draft would change Article 38-1 of the University Act, the ministry said. The start-ups would be wholly owned by the institutions, giving them total control over areas of research, according to the draft amendment. The proposal is to be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review by the end of this year, Deputy Minister of Education Yao Leeh-ter said. But the amendment would come with pros and cons, said National Tsing Hua University vice president Chen Sinn-wen.

The amendment would be beneficial from the university’s standpoint, but there could be concerns over academics trying to make money using government resources, he said. United States universities can limit the money their faculty members can receive from businesses and the hours they can spend on business projects, Chen said.
Full report on the Taipei Times site