To promote the research and application of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and cultivate relevant talents and skills in Taiwan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (the MODA) announced that registration for the 29th  International ICT Innovative Services Awards (InnoServe) 2024 is now open. This year’s competition will introduce a new Privacy Enhancing Technology Application category, inviting the active participation of college students. The top three teams will receive prizes of NT$50,000, NT$30,000, and NT$10,000, respectively, and certificates of achievement.

MODA points out that the rapid development of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and 5G is escalating demand for high-quality data. Globally, there is a concerted effort to develop Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) that effectively reconcile privacy protection with innovations in data sharing. The InnoServe competition, which has been organized through industry-government-academia collaboration for many years, is an annual event in the information technology field. This year’s new category on privacy-enhancing technology applications will focus on balancing privacy protection and data usability. Questions will focus on balancing privacy protection and data usability, providing demonstration cases and sample program execution. Participating teams must use emerging privacy-enhancing technologies such as differential privacy and synthetic data to solve problems, self-assess privacy protection and data usability, and propose innovative and professional solutions.

The MODA emphasizes that data is the energy for digital innovation, and good data governance is necessary to unleash its full potential. Ensuring data privacy through technological advancements is paramount. The competition aims to integrate academic research with practical experience to inspire college students to develop and apply privacy-enhancing technologies, meeting future demands for talent and technology in the information industry. Registration for the competition is open from August 1 until 5 pm on October 2. Qualified teams will compete in the preliminaries from October 14 to 18, with the finals scheduled for November 2. Teachers are encouraged to lead students in forming teams for participation. For more details, please visit: https://gov.tw/1MW