The power of technology and innovation to achieve a sustainable society

        Far Eastern Group established the Far Eastern Y.Z. Hsu Science&Technology Memorial Foundation in 2001 in commemoration of its founder Yu Xiang Hsu's lifelong commitment to industrial innovation and achievements in various social welfare activities. The affiliated enterprises of the group jointly donated to establish the foundation, with a special focus on technological innovation. They actively promote technological development, talent cultivation, and collaboration between industry and school. Among them, the Y.Z. Hsu Scientific Award has been highly recognized by various sectors of society and has become a benchmark honor for researchers to actively compete for.

                Far Eastern Group started from the textile industry and gradually expanded into various industries such as petrochemicals, polyester, retail, cement, transportation, finance, education, healthcare, and telecommunications with innovative business thinking in response to major economic policies and industry development trends. It has laid a solid foundation for growth and now has a global layout covering various livelihood industries. To commemorate the founder Yu Xiang Hsu's lifelong commitment to innovation and his philanthropic spirit of giving back to society, Far Eastern Group donated to establish the Far Eastern Y.Z. Hsu Science&Technology Memorial Foundation, with the aim of "technological innovation". It applied to the National Science Council for registration and became the first private foundation under its jurisdiction.

        The foundation holds the "Y.Z. Hsu Scientific Award" annually, which focuses on six emerging key fields including nanotechnology, information and communication technology, optoelectronic technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, green technology, and artificial intelligence. The review system is rigorous and fair, inviting academicians of the Academia Sinica, university presidents, research institution heads, and heavyweight scholars to serve as judges. After multiple rounds of group meetings and external expert reviews, the winners of each award are selected, which is highly recognized by all sectors. It is one of the top scientific research awards in Taiwan, with a record high number of applications every year and fierce competition.

        The Y. Z. Hsu Scientific Award aims to lead the attention and support for technological development from all walks of life. Since its 22nd edition, it has awarded 495 awards with a total prize of nearly NTD 210 million. We hope to provide scientists with the most practical encouragement and support, so that they can devote themselves wholeheartedly to exploring various scientific fields.

        This year's Y.Z. Hsu Scientific Award has selected 28 outstanding scientists, covering research areas such as semiconductors, novel materials, optical technology, medical screening, information security, intelligent computing, environmental sustainability, and more. These outstanding research achievements are not only the light of Taiwan's scientific research, but also the driving force behind the continuous upgrading of the industry.

        Challenging the Hall of Science and Winning Gold Medals with Excellent Achievements

        In order to root science education down and cultivate new generation talents, the Yu Xiang Hsu Foundation has collaborated with the Department of Physics at National Taiwan Normal University for 16 consecutive years to hold the "Yu Xiang Hsu Cup Physics Debate Competition" for high school students across Taiwan. The competition follows the format of the International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) and adopts a fully English speaking approach to physics topic debates, aiming to cultivate students' key abilities in foreign language, logical reasoning, experimental design, and teamwork. The foundation fully sponsors outstanding students to form the Taiwan representative team and participate in the IYPT competition. They perform excellently every year and won the team gold medal award in 2016.

        In July of this year, the IYPT tournament was held in Budapest, Hungary, with a total of 38 teams participating, setting a new high in history. In the fierce competition, a team composed of students from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo Senior High School, Kaohsiung High School, Changhua Girls' High School, and Jingcheng High School won the team gold medal award and ranked second in total points/credits, setting a record for the best in history and once again shining brightly on the stage of global science competitions in Taiwan.

        In recent years, the foundation has also held the "Youxiang Innovation Forum" one after another, inviting the winners of the Y.Z. Hsu Scientific Award to exchange ideas and share new scientific knowledge with the younger generation, receiving warm responses from high schools in various counties and cities. Not only has it continued to cooperate with Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo Senior High School, Taipei First Girls' High School, Hsinchu Experimental High School and other schools, but this year it also went to Tainan First High School for the first time, hoping to help young students cultivate an interest in exploring science and imagine the future world.

        Utilizing technology to promote sustainable transformation of industries

        The world is facing many challenges today, such as economic inequality and the widening gap between the rich and the poor; Overexploitation of natural resources leads to environmental damage and resource scarcity; Climate change has a significant impact on agriculture, fisheries, and other industries that rely on natural resources; Many countries are facing the problem of aging population, decreasing labor force, and increasing pressure on social security insurance; The intensification of competition brought about by globalization, the risk of decline in some regions and industries, and geopolitical conflicts and frictions have all made the world more turbulent and unpredictable in the future. But if we can leverage the power of technological innovation, it will not only be the key to solving current economic problems, but also the driving force for future sustainability development.

        Taking Far Eastern Group as an example, its affiliated enterprises actively promote sustainable transformation by leveraging their core capabilities and combining new technologies and applications. Far Eastern New Century Corporation has developed a "land, sea, and air" full recycling technology, which recycles waste plastic bottles, textiles, carbon waste gas, and other materials, providing a new solution to the recycled economy. It won first place in the Minderoo Foundation's global recycling evaluation in 2023. Received the "2024 Recycled Economy Achievement Award" from the Taiwan Chemical Industry Association; Asia Cement Corporation has successfully developed masonry cement that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18%, while also reducing the consumption of natural minerals and coal. Through cement kiln co processing technology, waste is reused as alternative raw materials and fuels, achieving maximum resource utilization and minimizing waste emissions; U-Ming Marine Transport uses Hempel X8 high-performance anti fouling coating and special construction methods to create a new ship, significantly reducing the biological adhesion of the hull, reducing fluid resistance, and saving 5-8% of fuel, in response to the International Maritime Organization's goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

        All sectors of society should work together to expand investment in technology research and development, and promote the transformation of research results into practical applications. Far Eastern Group and Yu Xiang Hsu Foundation are willing to play the role of sparking discussions and providing the "Y. Z. Hsu Scientific Award" as a stage to promote exchanges between government agencies and academic research units, attract outstanding talents from various fields to join the ranks of scientific research, and generate more innovative influence. In 2024, which marks the 75th anniversary of Far Eastern Group's establishment in Taiwan, we will continue to work together to "walk hand in hand, achieve sustainable prosperity", and embrace a better social vision. (This article is reproduced from the "Handbook of the 22nd Y.Z. Hsu Scientific Award Ceremony")

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