In order to pursue sustainable innovation with higher quality and service, TSC has set up a research and development business management and control organization which is the Research and Development Committee whose chairman is the president with 1-2 deputy chairmen, 19 to 35 committee members, 1 executive secretary and 2-3 secretaries. Its main tasks include the development of R&D policies, R&D budget management and implementation, research program management, the application and follow-up of R&D results. Through regular R&D business integration meetings, various units involved in R&D can quickly resolve issues and problems they have faced, coordinate R&D resources across units and improve research energy.
Taiwan Sugar Research Institute (TSRI) and Biotechnology Business Division
Taiwan Sugar Research Institute (TSRI) was originally the “Taiwan Sugar Experiment Station” established during the Japanese occupation, with more than 100 years of history. As TSC has transformed from a “pure sugar production and sales business” to a comprehensive business entity covering multiple business units. TSRI has also shifted its focus to biotechnology and the R&D of medical plants. In recent years, to align with the trend of net-zero emissions, it has actively invested in related studies on smart agriculture, circular economy and others.
To focus more on the development of health foods, functional drinks, and beauty care products, TSC established the Biotechnology Business Division in 2003, which is equipped with equipment for microbial fermentation, natural product extraction, and product packaging. Under the joint efforts with TSRI, currently, 10 products with 12 health functions have obtained health food certification, 12 raw materials have obtained INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) certification, and have won relevant awards, such as SNQ (Symbol of National Quality), Excellence in Aquaculture and Products, Biotechnology and Medicine Care Quality Award, and Taiwan Circular Economy Award.
Starting from April 1, 2025, for the division of labor of each group to stay closer to the overall research direction, the names of organizations are adjusted into the following ones based on the attributes of the tasks. The three technical groups, namely the “Agricultural Technology Group”, “Process Technology Group”, and the “Applied Biochemistry Group”, that are organized based on technical expertise and execute cross-functional and product development tasks through close interdepartmental collaboration. In addition, the "Sugar Industry Archive Research and Application Group" has been added to be in charge of inventorying and collecting cultural assets, create digital archives, developing educational programs, and designing cultural and creative products. There is also a “Technology Management and Information Group” (formerly the Carbon Reduction and Industrial Information Group) in charge of technology management services, providing research-related services such as providing industrial information, intellectual property management, market research, and technology transfer, and it also serves as a window for the communication between TSRI and other internal and external units of TSC.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Management
In the context of sustainable development and circular economy, TSC’s accumulated technologies for fermentation and extraction over such a long period of time have an increasing important role. These technologies can be applied in the fields of waste/by-product conversion and recycling, production of biodegradable agents and materials, synthetic biology and new product development, environmental pollution control and so on, helping to realize the highly efficient use of resources and reduce waste, and create a novel and eco-friendly production model.
As an academic research unit recognized by the Ministry of Education, TSRI is not only a powerful source of technology for TSC to become a benchmark enterprise in health and green industries, its related research results are also of great significance to the transformation of agriculture and the development of circular economy in Taiwan. From the standpoint of protecting national intellectual property rights and the corporate interests, TSC introduced the Taiwan Intellectual Property Management System (TIPS) from 2009, and description of this system is as follows.