Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) officially opened its Minxiong campus in Chiayi on Sept. 28, with a groundbreaking ceremony held the same day for the western section of the Minxiong Aerospace and Drone Industrial Park. The buildout was presented as a step in moving Taiwan’s drone supply chain from R&D verification into mass production, with both defense and civilian use cases in view.
President Lai Ching-te and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo were among the officials attending the opening ceremony. They also witnessed the completion of integrated testing hangars for medium- and large-sized drone systems.
Dual-track development in Minxiong
The Minxiong aerospace park is being developed under what the source described as an east-west structure: defense R&D on the eastern side, and military-civilian applications on the western side. The arrangement is intended to connect central government policy, local resources, and research capacity.
On the eastern side, the NCSIST campus has received NT$1.11 billion in investment since December 2023. The project covers 5.12 hectares and includes an R&D building as well as testing hangars. After nearly three years of construction, the facilities have now entered service. Their stated role is to strengthen drone system research, testing, and production capacity, with the site positioned as a key domestic base for R&D in critical technologies for medium- and large-sized drones.
Western industrial park targets 2028 completion
The western Minxiong Aerospace and Drone Industrial Park has been approved for NT$6.859 billion in public construction funding by the Executive Yuan. It is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Once completed, the western park is expected to attract drone companies and related supply-chain manufacturers. Official estimates cited in the source put capacity at about 100 tenants, with 1,200 jobs and annual output of NT$8 billion. The western park is also expected to link with NCSIST’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities on the eastern side, expanding the scale of Chiayi’s drone industry cluster and lifting industrial competitiveness.
Chiayi County says local drone chain is taking shape
Chiayi County has been promoting drone industry development since 2020. In 2022, it established the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center, repurposing an existing campus space.
Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang said the region is gradually putting together a full drone industry chain, stretching from R&D and testing in Taibao to manufacturing and industrial park capacity in Minxiong. He said government policy signals have given small and medium-sized enterprises more confidence to invest, and that additional key suppliers and technical talent could move in as the park comes online in stages.
Key figures from the project
- Eastern campus investment: NT$1.11 billion
- Eastern site area: 5.12 hectares
- Western park public construction budget: NT$6.859 billion
- Target completion for the western park: 2028
- Estimated tenants: about 100 companies
- Estimated jobs created: 1,200
- Estimated annual output: NT$8 billion