In 2003, Taiwan was struck by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. To combat this epidemic, ITRI built the country’s first full-function hospital. Within two weeks, ITRI built 120 negative pressure wards at the Tri-Service General Hospital Songshan Branch and helped establish a medical network with over 600 negative pressure wards throughout Taiwan. In the same year, ITRI introduced a SARS patient respiratory droplet trap that could collect over 99% of SARS coronavirus, which significantly reduced the infection rate of frontline medical staff and hospitalized patients.

Fast forward to 2019, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ITRI launched a comprehensive epidemic prevention network covering all four stages of epidemics - prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and post-epidemic management - to safeguard public health.

In the prevention stage, ITRI collaborated with the national mask production team to increase mask equipment manufacturers’ production capacity within a week. Additionally, ITRI utilized its patented melt-blown nonwoven fabric technology and partnered with the industry to supply masks to the national mask production team, thereby addressing the initial mask shortage during the early outbreak. Moreover, to enhance epidemic prevention mechanisms, ITRI developed the Thermal Image Body Temperature Irregularity Detection Technology based on thermal imaging and AI. This innovation allowed for access control and early detection of feverish patients, and it was incorporated into a number of institutions, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Penghu Hospital, and TSMC.

During the diagnosis stage, in 2020, ITRI created the iPMx Molecular Rapid Test System, which can complete a nucleic acid test within 40 minutes. The rapid test system was launched successfully and sold in Japan in 2022. In the same year, ITRI also developed Taiwan’s first Positive Pressure Testing Booth, providing a safe sampling environment for frontline medical staff. When the pandemic resurged in 2021, ITRI collaborated with numerous companies to construct nearly 200 testing booths across Taiwan within two months.

During the treatment stage, ITRI responded to the pressing need to reduce patient mortality rates by developing Taiwan’s first medical-grade ventilator prototype within a remarkable 17 days. The technology was quickly transferred to Pegatron for production and distribution.

In the stage of post-epidemic management, vaccines were at the heart of disease control. ITRI assisted Genomics in constructing a GMP nucleic acid manufacturing plant. The plant is expected to produce 12.8 million doses of adjuvants per year, helping to meet the needs of domestic vaccine factories. As the world gradually emerges from lockdowns, ITRI launched an online COVID-19 rapid test certification service platform to enable the public to quickly access their digital COVID-19 certificates. Throughout the epidemic, ITRI consistently demonstrated the “Taiwan helps, ITRI helps” spirit by providing substantial support to society in need.