President of AD Engineering Corporation, Mr. Chen Jin-bao
President of Ding Chuang Construction Company, Mr. Wang Guan-jen
Principal Architect of EDS International, Mr. Tsai Yuan-liang
Architect of EDS International, Ms. Chiang Pei-hsien
Consultant to the RIM project, Mr. Tony Agostino
WorldVeg colleagues

It is a great pleasure and honor to welcome you to this event, here at our headquarters in Taiwan, or watching online.

It is more than 50 years ago that a few visionary people from Taiwan and the United States realized the need for a research center solely dedicated to vegetables. It is almost exactly 50 years ago, that agreements were signed between seven countries, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, and the Asian Development Bank. The World Vegetable Center has come a long way since, thanks to hard work by the many people that dedicated their careers to vegetable science here in Taiwan, and at our regional centers in Africa and Asia.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The world is witnessing tremendous problems with malnutrition, be it hunger, micronutrient deficiencies or overweight or obesity, further complicated by climate change. Vegetables can contribute to the transformation our food systems need, towards healthier outcomes for people and planet, and job and income generation opportunities for a rapidly growing population. Our mission, to realize the potential of vegetables for healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods is now more relevant than ever.

In 2016, we started dreaming about modernizing our research facilities in Taiwan – to make it fit for the next decades, perhaps even for the next 50 years! To get ready for the next generation of scientists who will actively contribute to realizing the potential of vegetables, for healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods.

Together we were able to translate that dream into the Research Infrastructure Modernization or RIM project and get it funded in 2017 through a generous investment by the Taiwan government through the Council of Agriculture.

The RIM project has already allowed us to construct a world-class field phenotyping facility, two new high-tech greenhouses, re-cable our campus, complete the first stage of a new landscape design for our campus, and start bringing back to life existing but run-down infrastructure.

This groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of the last phase of the RIM project. When we complete this last phase, we will have access to top-notch office and laboratory facilities, a new seed processing facility, and a new seed-health quarantine lab.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The issues we need to address are far too complex to do on our own. We must reach out to partners here in Taiwan, in Asia and around the world to fight malnutrition and poverty today, tomorrow and in the next decades to come.

When the RIM project reaches its completion by the end of 2022, our modernized facilities will be an important asset in transforming the World Vegetable Center into an Open Science Center. An Open Science Center, attracting vastly increased numbers of students and scientists from the public and private sector from around the world to work with us here in Taiwan.

We are not building this facility for ourselves. We are building this for the next generation of scientists from Taiwan, the region or from anywhere in the world to work hand-in-hand towards the scientific breakthroughs the world needs.

Let me end by thanking all of you who are making this possible. I thank our donor COA and the Taiwan government for their generosity. I thank our Board Chair, Dr. J.J. Chen for his guidance, trust and strong support.

I thank our collaborators, the construction company and architectural firm, for their professionalism. It trust you ensure that we can complete this last phase in time, whilst adhering to the highest standards.

I thank my WorldVeg colleagues for accepting the inconvenience that construction works always bring. A very special thank you for those of you who were closely involved with the RIM project from the start.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes the start of our last and most important journey in the RIM project. I count on all of you to bring it to a successful completion.

Thank you very much. Xie-xie ni!