The National Development Council (NDC) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chairman Yeh Chun-Hsien today awarded the Employment Gold Card to Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Arieh Warshel. The NDC stated that “Professor Warshel is the first Nobel Prize laureate in the world to receive our country’s Employment Gold Card, setting a new milestone for talent acquisition in Taiwan and demonstrating Taiwan’s attractiveness to top global scientific researchers.”
The NDC released a press release today, stating that Prof. Arieh Warshel, along with Martin Karplus and Michael Levitt, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2013 for their work on “the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems.”
In the 1970s, Warshel pioneered the multiscale simulation method combining quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, allowing computers to simulate biological molecular reactions such as enzyme catalysis. This laid the foundation for today’s computer-aided drug design, enzyme catalysis mechanism research, and protein engineering, and is considered the pioneer of “computational structural biology.”
This year, at the invitation of Dr. Chan Kuan-Neng, Dean of the College of International Semiconductor Industry at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Prof. Warshel was appointed as an honorary professor at the institute to deepen collaboration in talent cultivation and exchange in the semiconductor and key technology fields with Taiwan.
Prof. Warshel has deep connections with the academic and research community in Taiwan. After his doctoral student Professor Huang Chen-Gang returned to Taiwan, they, along with Professors Yang Jin-Mu and Huang Xian-Da, co-founded and developed a research institute, leading to the establishment of Taiwan’s first Bioinformatics Institute at National Chiao Tung University (now National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) in 2001, laying an important foundation for talent cultivation in bioinformatics in Taiwan.
Over the years, through academic inheritance and talent cultivation, Prof. Warshel has continued to have an impact on Taiwan’s academic, research, and industrial sectors, aligning with Taiwan’s policies in actively cultivating talents in bioinformatics, semiconductors, and other key technology fields.
Chairman Yeh Chun-Hsien of the NDC stated that research in “computational chemistry” requires strong computing power and biomedical applications, with Taiwan being a global hub for AI computing power and biotechnology. He expressed anticipation for deeper collaboration in the future and highlighted that the Employment Gold Card serves as an exclusive “Taiwan VIP pass,” making it convenient for recipients to work in Taiwan as if they were returning home. He also expressed gratitude to National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University for facilitating the awarding of the card.
The NDC explained that the Employment Gold Card is an important talent retention system specially designed for top international talents in the Republic of China, offering five core advantages: “career autonomy, tax incentives, family reunion-friendly, easy integration into Taiwan, and honorable privileges.”
Cardholders can freely seek employment, change jobs, or start businesses with a combination of personal qualifications. Those meeting the criteria can also benefit from tax incentives related to salary income and overseas income. In terms of family care, the card provides friendly measures such as relatives visiting, health insurance, and spouses being allowed to work.
Furthermore, the Employment Gold Card significantly reduces the required years for permanent residency. Global top talents meeting certain conditions can apply for permanent residency in Taiwan as quickly as 1 year, and they can also use fast inspection or automatic inspection at immigration upon entry. These comprehensive measures enhance Taiwan’s attractiveness to international high-level talents in terms of work, taxes, family, long-term residency, and entry convenience.
The NDC emphasized that talent acquisition is not just about bringing people in but also about making international talents willing to stay. The NDC will continue to provide one-stop services from applying to work in Taiwan to daily life through the Talent Taiwan International Talent Service and Recruitment Center, working with relevant ministries to strengthen support in areas such as children’s education, finance, and housing, encouraging more top international talents to choose Taiwan and stay in Taiwan.