In response to the government restructuring and for conducting matters related to Chinese medicine, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) brought in the ‘National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine’ under the Ministry of Education, and officially founded ‘National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine’ (NRICM) in a plaque-unveiling ceremony on July 23, 2013. NRICM will continue its commitment to research related to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in order to provide MHW with evidence-based results as reference for the planning of overall policy of Chinese medicine modernization. The preparatory office of NRICM was formed in 1957; whereas ‘National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine’ was officially founded on October 22, 1963, with its Organic Act passed by the Legislative Yuan after third reading in 1995, and assigned under the Ministry of Education. 
For centuries, TCM has played an important role in Chinese communities in health care and the treatment of diseases. Over the last few decades in Taiwan, people who resorted to TCM treatments accounted for about 30% of the population; whereas TCM treatment accounted for 4-5% of national health insurance expenditure. On average, each person in Taiwan used TCM treatment about twice a year, which shows that in the 21st century TCM is still a medical approach recognized and supported by both government and the public. In the future, NRICM will commit itself to the vision of ‘improving the quality and efficiency of medical services, balancing medical resources, care for the disadvantaged, welfare to society, and feedback to the world,’ and operate closer to the health care needs of the public, in order to enhance people’s proper understanding of TCM, and provide assurance to national health. 
The developmental goals of NRICM include: 
1. Continue to improve basic research and academic performance in regard to TCM, for complementary exchange with Western medicine. 
2. Enhance the application and promotion of TCM research results. 
3. Consolidate TCM clinical trials and efficacy evaluation, to provide a foundation for policy analysis on TCM. 
4. Increase exchange with international traditional medicine administrative organizations and research institutes, and establish cooperation on the exchange of researchers and training. 
Finally, thanks to the previous support and encouragement for NRICM received from all walks of life, NRICM is able to launch and start its business smoothly today. NRICM will continue to uphold its spirit for operation in the future, to assure a smooth integration of all works and live up to the expectations of the people.