In order to develop research on the sustainable use of ocean resources and conservation, legalization of ocean affairs policies, maritime security and international strategic cooperation, big data applications on oceans, AI image recognition and ocean data simulation, the National Academy of Marine Research (NAMR) signed a memorandum of academic cooperation with Soochow University School of Law and School of Big Data Management on Sep 8, which was jointly witnessed by Deputy Minister Tsai Ching-Piao of the Ocean Affairs Council and President Pan Wei-Ta of Soochow University. It is expected that the collaboration between the public sector and academe will enhance the momentum of marine research.
　　Deputy Minister Tsai Ching-Piao noted that since the establishment of the Ocean Affairs Council, it has actively promoted the research and planning of domestic and international marine policies, legalization efforts and marine science and technology development, with a view to building a strong maritime nation through the collaboration of industry, government and academe and the integration of resources to strengthen marine basic education and promote the research and development and application of marine science and technology. In order to oversee marine policy planning, marine resources survey, marine scientific research, marine industry and talent cultivation and development, the National Academy of Marine Research was established to utilize expert talents from various fields and to be an important think tank for marine research in Taiwan. Soochow University is the first private university in Taiwan, and the School of Law is the leading law school in Taiwan that actively trains modern legal professionals. In response to the era of big data, the university has established the School of Big Data Management, one of the few academic institutions in Taiwan that specializes in the analysis, processing and research in big data. It is hoped that through the close cooperation of both parties, the manpower and resources of both institutions and academia will be able to enhance legal research, big data computing technology, analysis and prediction capabilities of the nation.
　　NAMR President Chiu Yung-Fang pointed out that since NAMR’s establishment, it has completed preliminary research on the legalization of sea area management and policies, international policies related to spatial planning of sea areas, as well as systems and practical analysis. NAMR has also gradually constructed marine database frameworks and standardization of content and data to promote fundamental research of marine law and policies. It has a complete database on sea areas and promote the integration and value-added use of marine information and communication. In the future, NAMR will combine specialized research conducted by various research centers with the two colleges of Soochow University to jointly develop research on international situation analysis of marine developments and drive big data integration application technologies.
　　Marine affairs are diverse and involve a wide range of aspects. This memorandum of cooperation between NAMR and Soochow University is focused on emerging research areas such as legal policies related to marine affairs, big data applications, AI artificial intelligence image recognition, marine data simulation, etc. Through this cooperation, it is hoped to propel research momentum, enhance and add value to the understanding and motivation of interested parties in various fields of marine affairs and further evoke the proud spirit of a happy maritime nation among the public.