Only one proposal will be selected.
The deadline is August 17 at 23:59 Taiwan time, leaving interested companies with a narrow window to assemble the required consortium and documentation.
For foreign telecommunications, satellite, AI-networking and sensing companies, the important detail is that this is not a Taiwan-only programme.
International companies, universities and research institutes can participate, provided they apply alongside at least one eligible Taiwanese business.
A Taiwanese partner is mandatory
Applications must be submitted by a consortium containing:
At least one Taiwanese for-profit company incorporated under Taiwan’s Companies Act.
At least one international company, university or research institution.
A designated project coordinator responsible for contractual and technical communication.
Each participating organisation must also provide formal evidence of cooperation with the coordinator. The organiser accepts documents including a Memorandum of Intent, Memorandum of Understanding or Letter of Intent.
This means foreign applicants cannot submit independently. The immediate challenge is not only preparing the technical proposal, but securing a Taiwanese partner and documenting that relationship before the deadline.
Proposals must be written in English.
What the programme is looking for
6G-FORMOSA is Taiwan’s first experimental 6G trial network. It is led by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI; 工業技術研究院) and operates from ITRI’s campus in Hsinchu (新竹).
The programme is seeking collaborative proof-of-concept projects that use its testing infrastructure to validate next-generation communications technologies and define measurable technical and industry outcomes.
Its available facilities cover several areas:
Integrated sensing and communication, or ISAC.
AI-driven and intelligent network management.
Non-terrestrial networks and satellite communications.
Network digital twins.
Energy-efficient network architecture.
Multi-orbit satellite testing.
O-RAN and advanced mobile-network infrastructure.
The testbed includes equipment and systems from companies including NVIDIA, Rohde & Schwarz, Keysight, Pegatron, Lite-On and Taiwanese network-technology providers.
This makes the opportunity more substantial than a conventional grant. The selected consortium receives both financial support and access to specialised testing infrastructure that would be expensive to reproduce independently.
6G‑FORMOSA’s trial network combines satellite communications, non-terrestrial networks, integrated sensing, intelligent networking, energy-efficiency testing and network digital twins. Image: 6G‑FORMOSA / ITRI.
The commercial relevance
Taiwan is positioning itself as a validation and manufacturing partner within the emerging international 6G ecosystem.
ITRI has already established cooperation with European and British programmes, including the European 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association, the UK’s TITAN programme and the JOINER experimental-network initiative.
For an international startup, the call could provide three things at once: funding, technical validation and a working relationship with a Taiwanese company.
That combination may be particularly relevant to companies developing satellite-terrestrial connectivity, sensing systems, AI-native network management, radio hardware or industrial 6G applications.
The selected project must be completed by December 10, 2026, making this a short validation programme rather than a long research grant.
What applicants still need to confirm
The public call sets a maximum contract value of NT$8.5 million, but companies should not assume that every consortium participant will receive an equal share.
The final allocation, payment structure, eligible costs, intellectual-property provisions and contractual responsibilities should be checked in the official documents or confirmed directly with the organiser.
Applicants also need to determine which organisation should act as project coordinator and whether the required cooperation documents can be executed before submission.
The official page provides the proposal template, draft testing and validation contract, technical scope, tenderer’s declaration and conflict-of-interest declaration.
Applications close on August 17 at 23:59 Taiwan time (UTC+8).
SAKIME
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Author — Adrià Mas Rodríguez
This article is provided for information purposes and does not constitute an investment recommendation or solicitation.