The collaboration between NSTDA and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) of Taiwan was initiated in 2018 with the launch of NARLabs- NSTDA Joint Research Program in 2020 as a funding facility for collaborative projects. Three joint projects were supported in the 2020 Call for Proposals, ranging from the diagnostic technology for EGFR mutations from circulating tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer to the use of Taiwan Data Cube to monitor the change in paddy field land use and the novel bioassay for rapid screening of COVID-19.
To promote the upcoming Call for Proposals among researchers working at NSTDA and NARLabs, the two organizations jointly hosted NARLabs-NSTDA Joint Research Program Info Day as a virtual forum in NSTDA Annual Conference 2021 (NAC2021). In addition to information on the joint program, the event also included presentations from researchers participating in three joint projects that started in 2020, and discussion and matching session to help researchers find collaborators in preparation for the upcoming call.
In addition, a virtual workshop on Taiwan Data Cube (TWDC) was held on 26 March 2021. The workshop introduced audience to the framework and practical applications of Taiwan Data Cube (TWDC), an infrastructure for performing collection and preprocessing of Earth Observation satellite data. A joint project between researchers from NECTEC-NSTDA and NSPO-NARLabs (the National Space Organization) was presented as an example of TWDC application in agricultural management in Thailand. Approximately 50 participants attended the virtual workshop.
