NCSIST inaugurates R&D facility and breaks ground on Chiayi UAV park

The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) held a ceremony in Minxiong, Chiayi, to inaugurate its new research facility and break ground on the Minxiong Aerospace and UAV Industrial Park. The eastern research facility, representing an investment of 1.11 billion TWD, is now operational to strengthen national-level R&D capabilities.

Construction has begun on the western industrial park, a project approved by the Executive Yuan with a budget of 6.859 billion TWD. Scheduled for completion in 2028, the park is expected to host approximately 100 companies, create 1,200 jobs, and generate an annual output value of 8 billion TWD.

President Lai Ching-te emphasized that unmanned systems are critical to modern defense and stated that Taiwan has the potential to become an Asian hub for the democratic UAV supply chain. He noted the rapid growth of the domestic industry, which saw its output value increase more than 2.5 times in the previous year, and called for legislative support for defense budgets to bolster domestic procurement.