The Administration for Digital Industries (ADI) of the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda) hosted the "2026 Smart City Salon and Entrepreneurship for Home Award Ceremony" today (19th) at Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2. The event gathered smart city service providers and 40 award-winning teams from the "Entrepreneurship for Home" program to share their achievements in applying smart technologies to local settings.

The event also highlighted two significant breakthroughs in international cooperation. Under the witness of ADI Deputy Director-General Ya-ping Huang and Belgian Representative to Taiwan Matthieu Baudouin A. Branders, Taiwanese digital healthcare provider Advmeds., LTD and Belgian firm Dermatoo officially signed a cooperation agreement. Furthermore, witnessed by Deputy Director-General Ya-ping Huang and Vice President Yu-fan Lin of the Institute for Information Industry (III), Taiwanese digital interactive tech company Barking Dog Technology Inc. signed a partnership with the Japanese firm TOA Software Co., Ltd. These milestones underscore the global competitiveness of Taiwan’s smart city solutions.

The ADI stated that, supported by the Executive Yuan's Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Program, the government has continuously promoted the "Smart City Taiwan Project." Centered on citizens' real-world needs, the initiative integrates smart technologies into four major sectors: Transportation, Healthcare, Agricultural/Fishery Transformation, and Urban Governance. Since its inception in 2018, the project has attracted 355 companies, developed 268 specialized smart applications, and catalyzed over NT$71 billion in industrial investment. To date, 87 smart solutions have been successfully exported to 29 countries and regions. Additionally, the "Entrepreneurship for Home" program has assisted 1,036 startup teams in returning to their hometowns to solve local challenges through technology, revitalizing local economies. The event specifically gathered service providers mentored in 2025 for achievement showcases and business matchmaking. By facilitating industrial exchange and resource integration, we aim to further amplify the impact of policy initiatives and unlock new avenues for industrial collaboration and business opportunities.

Smart City Innovation Salon: AI-Driven Business Models

The " Smart City Innovation Salon" featured smart city service providers sharing their practical expertise in AI industrial implementation, showcasing the multi-faceted nature of technological solutions. In healthcare, Advmeds., LTD integrates medical and lifestyle data through its AI Health Agent platform, significantly boosting elderly care efficiency. Meanwhile, Lydsec Digital Technology has developed a multilingual smart documentation service combined with cybersecurity to alleviate the administrative burden on frontline medical personnel. For agricultural and fishery upgrades, Opportunity Biotech established an international-standard digital identity for 'Taiwan Tilapia,' strengthening export competitiveness and traceability mechanisms. Regarding ESG and sustainability, EasyCard Corporation leveraged its big data strengths to build a ' Food Rescue Platform,' successfully transforming surplus food into decarbonization momentum. In the field of smart learning, Linking Publishing introduced innovative AI LINKING BOOKS system, utilizing intelligent dialogue to bridge the reading gap in rural areas and pioneering a transformative business model for the traditional publishing industry."

Entrepreneurship for Home: 40 Startups Bridging the Urban-Rural Gap

In its 7th edition, the 'Entrepreneurship for Home' Competition continues its mission of encouraging startups to identify local pain points and develop innovative application services. Beyond providing sustained support, the program offers targeted resources and mentorship to address the challenges startups face in real-world operations, helping teams at various stages strengthen their operational resilience.

At the event, NDC Counselor Ching-chin Lin joined ADI Deputy Director-General Ya-ping Huang to commend the award-winning teams and witness their milestones. The ceremony featured an official award presentation and a showcase highlighting the innovative service achievements of this year’s 40 winning teams."

Two representative teams were invited to share their experience, demonstrating the actual impact of smart technology implementation in local settings. From the Innovation Value-Added Category, DATAYOO integrates satellite imagery with AI models to analyze crop growth patterns. By combining this with smart sluice gates to create an automated irrigation system, they enable farmers to monitor field dynamics with high precision. From the Entrepreneurship Validation Category, MOOVO implemented a smart-dock public bicycle service in Changhua County. By utilizing IoT sensing and geofencing technology, they significantly lowered infrastructure barriers, enhanced fleet dispatch efficiency and vehicle availability, and established a highly flexible and cost-effective 'micro-mobility' model.

ADI Deputy Director-General Ya-ping Huang remarked that the Smart City Project not only fosters technological support for hometowns through the 'Entrepreneurship for Home' initiative but also empowers enterprises to leverage localized strengths in developing smart applications for global expansion. Looking ahead, the ADI will continue to deepen inter- departmental collaboration, working hand-in-hand with local governments and the private sector to accelerate the integration of AI technology into diverse urban services. Our goal is to cultivate a citizen-centric AI smart life circle, ultimately realizing the national vision of a 'Smart Tech Island and Innovative Digital Society' while driving balanced regional development and industrial transformation and upgrading.