NSTC and Ministry of Economic Affairs Collaborate to Promote AI Central Kitchen, Launch Call for Industry-Academia Proposals
Key facts
- NSTC and Ministry of Economic Affairs Collaborate to Promote AI Central Kitchen, Launch Call for Industry-Academia Proposals
- Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce are launching an "AI Central Kitchen" initiative to accelerate AI adoption in the food and beverage industry. They are seeking proposals from April 15 to May 12, focusing on southern Taiwan, to develop smart catering applications and create local gourmet IPs through cross-domain collaboration.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: April 27, 2026
Direct answer
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce are launching an "AI Central Kitchen" initiative to accelerate AI adoption in the food and beverage industry. They are seeking proposals from April 15 to May 12, focusing on southern Taiwan, to develop smart catering applications and create local gourmet IPs through cross-domain collaboration.
- Citation
- NSTC and Ministry of Economic Affairs Collaborate to Promote AI Central Kitchen, Launch Call for Industry-Academia Proposals (April 27, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- April 27, 2026
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce are launching an "AI Central Kitchen" initiative to accelerate AI adoption in the food and beverage industry. They are seeking proposals from April 15 to May 12, focusing on southern Taiwan, to develop smart catering applications and create local gourmet IPs through cross-domain collaboration.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 13:49
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 14:01 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 03:18 (13h 16m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chao Min-Ya, Taipei 27th) To accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce to promote the AI Central Kitchen initiative. The plan designates Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Pingtung as project sites, with a public call for proposals from April 15 to May 12. Commercial service providers are the primary proposers, with information service providers and universities as co-proposers, aiming to build a cross-domain collaborative mechanism and implement smart catering applications.
To build Taiwan into an island of artificial intelligence, the NSTC proposed the Grand South New Silicon Valley promotion plan, combining the Shalun Science City with the surrounding semiconductor S-corridor from Chiayi to Pingtung, to facilitate AI industrialization and industry AI-fication. Among them, in the field of smart commercial services, the NSTC partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce to promote the AI Central Kitchen, using three core strategies: smartening production line processes, modularizing smart catering, and IP-fying local gourmet food. This aims to build a scalable central kitchen and smart catering service ecosystem.
According to the plan, the focus will be on the transformation and expansion of central kitchens and smart catering sites. This will be driven by cross-domain collaboration among commercial service providers, information service providers, and universities. Commercial service providers will propose demands based on practical pain points, integrating AI technical solutions from information service providers and technical value-added energy from academic research teams, to implement on-site validation and application dissemination.
To build a smart living circle for all citizens, this project uses the Grand South as its demonstration core, with a public call for proposals from April 15 to May 12. Commercial service providers are the primary proposers, with information service providers and universities as co-proposers. Project sites should be located in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Pingtung areas.
The plan states that commercial service providers must have tax registration business items belonging to wholesale and retail, accommodation and catering, or logistics industries; proposing units must have a central kitchen production line, or non-central kitchen operators must collaborate with operators with relevant production lines. Each project can receive a maximum annual subsidy of NT$30 million, and the project duration is 2 years.
The NSTC stated that universities will assist in talent cultivation and technical value-addition. The project encourages universities to form interdisciplinary research teams, with research scope including AI model development, gourmet IP research and development (such as recipe development, flavor analysis, and electronic recipe establishment), and business model analysis. Through matchmaking for project development and testing, practical problem-solving abilities will be strengthened, promoting industry-academia-research collaboration and innovative development. Each project can receive a maximum annual subsidy of NT$5 million, and the project duration is also 2 years.
The project emphasizes that by introducing data monitoring, process automation, and AI technical solutions, it hopes to comprehensively enhance operational efficiency, food safety control, and quality consistency, and develop local gourmet IP. Through professional division of labor in central kitchens and smart catering, supplemented by intelligent equipment to achieve standardized production, it aims to drive the digital transformation and upgrading of the catering industry supply chain. (Edited by Lin Ke-Lun) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide supports the power of press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
(Central News Agency reporter Chao Min-Ya, Taipei 27th) To accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce to promote the AI Central Kitchen initiative. The plan designates Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Pingtung as project sites, with a public call for proposals from April 15 to May 12. Commercial service providers are the primary proposers, with information service providers and universities as co-proposers, aiming to build a cross-domain collaborative mechanism and implement smart catering applications.
To build Taiwan into an island of artificial intelligence, the NSTC proposed the Grand South New Silicon Valley promotion plan, combining the Shalun Science City with the surrounding semiconductor S-corridor from Chiayi to Pingtung, to facilitate AI industrialization and industry AI-fication. Among them, in the field of smart commercial services, the NSTC partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce to promote the AI Central Kitchen, using three core strategies: smartening production line processes, modularizing smart catering, and IP-fying local gourmet food. This aims to build a scalable central kitchen and smart catering service ecosystem.
According to the plan, the focus will be on the transformation and expansion of central kitchens and smart catering sites. This will be driven by cross-domain collaboration among commercial service providers, information service providers, and universities. Commercial service providers will propose demands based on practical pain points, integrating AI technical solutions from information service providers and technical value-added energy from academic research teams, to implement on-site validation and application dissemination.
To build a smart living circle for all citizens, this project uses the Grand South as its demonstration core, with a public call for proposals from April 15 to May 12. Commercial service providers are the primary proposers, with information service providers and universities as co-proposers. Project sites should be located in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Pingtung areas.
The plan states that commercial service providers must have tax registration business items belonging to wholesale and retail, accommodation and catering, or logistics industries; proposing units must have a central kitchen production line, or non-central kitchen operators must collaborate with operators with relevant production lines. Each project can receive a maximum annual subsidy of NT$30 million, and the project duration is 2 years.
The NSTC stated that universities will assist in talent cultivation and technical value-addition. The project encourages universities to form interdisciplinary research teams, with research scope including AI model development, gourmet IP research and development (such as recipe development, flavor analysis, and electronic recipe establishment), and business model analysis. Through matchmaking for project development and testing, practical problem-solving abilities will be strengthened, promoting industry-academia-research collaboration and innovative development. Each project can receive a maximum annual subsidy of NT$5 million, and the project duration is also 2 years.
The project emphasizes that by introducing data monitoring, process automation, and AI technical solutions, it hopes to comprehensively enhance operational efficiency, food safety control, and quality consistency, and develop local gourmet IP. Through professional division of labor in central kitchens and smart catering, supplemented by intelligent equipment to achieve standardized production, it aims to drive the digital transformation and upgrading of the catering industry supply chain. (Edited by Lin Ke-Lun) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide supports the power of press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
FAQ
What are the key facts in this article?
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce are launching an "AI Central Kitchen" initiative to accelerate AI adoption in the food and beverage industry. They are seeking proposals from April 15 to May 12, focusing on southern Taiwan, to develop smart catering applications and create local gourmet IPs through cross-domain collaboration.
What is the direct answer?
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Commerce are launching an "AI Central Kitchen" initiative to accelerate AI adoption in the food and beverage industry. They are seeking proposals from April 15 to May 12, focusing on southern Taiwan, to develop smart catering applications and create local gourmet IPs through cross-domain collaboration.
What is the source and date?
PR Times: https://www.cna.com.tw/news/afe/202604270104.aspx | April 27, 2026