Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) Taiwan and the Philippines reached an agreement at a conference in Manila this week to expand cooperation on natural disaster prevention, agriculture and health care, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said Saturday.

The agreement was reached by NSTC deputy chief Chen Tzong-chyuan (陳宗權) and Philippine Undersecretary for Research Leah J. Buendia at the MECO-TECO Vice-Ministerial Science and Technology Meeting on Thursday.

Due to the proximity of the two countries, they have engaged in frequent people-to-people exchanges for many years, and technological collaborations have played a pivotal role in their bilateral ties, Chen said during his speech at the meeting.

Faced with the challenges posed by climate change, Taiwan has tapped into its technological know-how for humanitarian rescue and assistance purposes, especially for disaster prevention, and a strong foundation has been built with the Philippines in this area, he said.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the results of their phase-two collaboration on early warning capabilities for volcanic eruptions, ocean hazards, typhoons and earthquakes aimed at safeguarding people's lives and property.

They also agreed to pursue phase II collaborations on healthcare and agriculture and programs for training professionals in the two fields.

Meanwhile, a motion tendered by the Philippines called for the NSTC to arrange for Philippine researchers to visit Taiwan to learn about the operation and management of P-3 laboratories and engage in epidemiological studies of tuberculosis.

The two sides also agreed to continue efforts to conduct academic exchanges, including a program that sends Philippine graduate and doctoral students to undertake research in Taiwan.

The vice-ministerial meeting was a pre-meeting for the 8th biennial MECO-TECO Joint Science and Technology Commission Meeting in 2023, according to the NSTC.

source: Hsieh Fang-yu and Sean Lin, https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202212030018?fbclid=IwAR3g-cT0KuGSGct_K1n1xSezm6wZceq4_PZjHIshUa9ssGY_8BGwXeAWoMo

為推動新南向政策，深化台灣與菲律賓科技交流，今年台菲次長級科技會議討論「醫療、農業、人才培訓」第2期計畫合作構想，雙方針對人才培訓達成共識。

國家科學及技術委員會今天發布新聞稿，為深化台菲科技交流，12月1日於菲律賓馬尼拉舉辦「2022年台菲次長級科技會議」，由國科會副主委陳宗權與菲律賓科技部次長布恩迪亞（Leah J. Buendia）共同主持。

國科會指出，這場會議是2023年第8屆台菲部長級科技會議的會前會，雙方除檢視合作計畫執行進度，也討論未來合作項目。

陳宗權致詞時表示，在東協10個國家中，菲律賓地理位置最接近台灣，長期以來雙方民間關係頗為密切，尤其台菲在科技面向的區域合作，對台菲整體關係發展扮演至關重要角色。

陳宗權說明，近年各國廣受全球氣候變遷衝擊，台灣持續發揮科技人道救援力量，特別是在科技防救災方面，台菲已建立深厚合作基礎。

雙方在此次會議上檢視「火山、海洋、颱風暨地震」第2期計畫進度，此計畫透過雙邊合作提升天災預報系統技術，強化防災能力，進而守護人民生命財產安全。

會議中並提出「醫療、農業、人才培訓」第2期計畫合作構想，加強雙邊在醫藥衛生及農業方面的科研合作，並針對人才培訓達成共識。

依菲律賓提案，國科會將協助媒合菲律賓研究團隊來台研習生物安全第3等級實驗室操作及管理、結核病分子流行病學分析等。

碩博士人才培育方面，雙方將持續合作辦理「台菲三明治計畫」，鼓勵菲律賓青年研究人才來台參與研究，建立雙方相關領域人才鏈結。

國科會說明，閉幕儀式上，台灣駐菲律賓代表徐佩勇與菲律賓馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處主席暨駐台代表貝世偉（Silvestre Bello III）簽署會議紀錄，陳宗權與布恩迪亞共同署名見證。

台菲科技會議自2007年舉辦至今，為台菲間科技交流重要會議平台，2020年受COVID-19（2019冠狀病毒疾病）疫情影響停辦，2021年改為線上會議，今年為疫後首次舉行實體會議。

（編輯：趙蔚蘭）https://www.cna.com.tw/news/afe/202212030198.aspx