TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS) under the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has appointed Ho Chuan-te (何全德) as its president, reports said Wednesday (Jan. 4).

The NICS board of directors and supervisors approved the choice of the former director of the National Development Council's (NDC) information management department at its first joint meeting Wednesday, the China Times reported. MODA Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳) foreshadowed the founding of the NICS at the ministry’s launch last August.

The new institute said Ho was a widely experienced official, having operated in the field of cybersecurity for 25 years at the NDC and also at the National Security Council (NSC). Tang said she had personally invited Ho to take up the new position, in order to form a professional research and service task force.

In the early stages, the NICS will count between 180 and 200 employees, who would shoulder responsibility for the training of cybersecurity talent, the development of relevant technology, and the defense of government departments against major incidents.

Tang will serve as chairman of the NICS board, while Ho would be assisted by two vice presidents, the report said. The NICS board included representatives from MODA, the NSC, the Ministry of National Defense, and academics from institutions including National Taiwan University (NTU) and the Academia Sinica.