The “Central Taiwan Biomedical Innovation & Incubation Platform,” jointly promoted by Chung Shan Medical University (CSMU), its affiliated hospital, and PwC Taiwan, co-hosted the B.E.S.T Innovation Symposium – Networking Session this afternoon (1st) with Show Chwan Healthcare System’s IRCAD-Taiwan at CSMU’s Cheng-Ai International Conference Hall. The forum gathered leading academic experts and healthcare innovation leaders from the United States, Europe, and Taiwan, attracting over 100 participants, including clinicians, researchers, and startup teams, highlighting Central Taiwan’s growing strength in international biomedical innovation.
CSMU and its affiliated hospital have long been committed to advancing clinical innovation and precision health. In May 2025, together with PwC Taiwan, the university launched the Central Taiwan Biomedical Innovation & Incubation Platform, the region’s first medical platform integrating clinical evidence, emerging technologies, and capital resources. Today’s symposium marks a major initiative of the platform, focusing on the clinical application and translational challenges of AI in surgery. The event emphasized cross-disciplinary integration and business model development, with the goal of ensuring that medical innovations meet real-world clinical needs.
The symposium featured a strong lineup of speakers from diverse fields. Michael C. Lu, former Director of the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau under the Obama Administration and current Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, delivered a keynote speech titled “The Future of Health and Healthcare,” analyzing global trends in digital health and public health policy. Former CSMU President and Professor of Nutrition Chin-Kun Wang shared insights on precision health, introducing the application of an AI-based interactive platform for personalized health assessment and feedback.
From the investment perspective, Dennis McWilliams, Partner at Santé Ventures (USA), spoke on identifying clinical pain points and developing market-oriented medical innovations, drawing from his dual experience as both entrepreneur and investor. From Europe, Professor Silvana Perretta of the University of Strasbourg and Professor Stefano Stramigioli of the University of Twente (Netherlands), a robotics and control systems expert, shared perspectives on the practical integration of AI into surgery and the future of surgical robotics and engineering design.
The closing panel discussion, moderated by Shih-Wei Liu, Associate Director at PwC Taiwan’s Biotech & Pharma Practice, brought together Show Chwan Healthcare System Superintendent Shih-Wei Huang, Chief Innovation Officer Lee L. Swanstrom, and Chao-Wei Chen, CEO of Taipei Medical University’s Biomed Accelerator. The panel explored the challenges of translating academic research into clinical and industrial applications, with discussions on resource integration and regulatory adaptation.
Hung-Ming Wu, CSMU Director of Industry-Academia Collaboration, and Fu-Shun Hsu, Director of Hospital Development at CSMU’s affiliated hospital, emphasized that this forum demonstrates CSMU’s ability to integrate clinical, academic, and industrial resources. Looking ahead, CSMU aims to address clinical pain points by connecting research capacity with innovation, building a practical, scalable, and replicable clinical innovation support system. By strengthening collaborations with medical centers, research institutes, and international venture capital partners, the university is positioning Central Taiwan as a demonstration hub for clinical innovation, leading Taiwan while connecting to the global stage.