Evaluating impacts of the MNE R&D Centre Programme on the national innovation system in Taiwan

Aiming to establish Taiwan as a global R&D hub, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan, initiated a national R&D programme entitled: 'Programme to Encourage Multinational Enterprises to Set up Innovative R&D Centres in Taiwan' in 2002. The programme aims to overcome drawbacks of the innovation system in Taiwan with overemphasis on incremental and development-focused R&D. However, the impacts of the programme have not been carefully evaluated. This article deployed an integrated framework to assess the impact of the programme on the innovation system in Taiwan, especially in the national level. Using the Delphi survey, the article collects experts' opinions on the appropriateness, effectiveness, and future strategy of the programme. The experts suggest that providing greater financial support to more risky and pre-competitive MNE R&D projects and enhancing MNE R&D centre domestic firm collaborative research are the top priorities in the future funding policy.