Taiwan is located in a region with high risk of natural hazards, which frequently cause considerable casualties of life and damages to property. Therefore, the government prioritizes the development of science and technology for disaster reduction and emergency preparedness to mitigate the adverse impacts caused by disasters. After the “Chi-Chi Earthquake” in 1999, the tremendous destructions and severe casualties clearly indicated importance of introducing science and technology into disaster management.In January 2001, the Sixth National Science and Technology Conference proposed to establish a national-level center designed for upgrading the capacity of disaster risk reduction through practical implementations of science and technology.The recommendation was a solid response to Article 7 of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act which was enforced in July of 2000. In July 2003, the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), transitioned from the Program Office of the National Science and Technology Program for Hazard Mitigation (NAPHM), was officially established as a think-tank to the government by providing in-depth suggestions on natural disaster reduction. In 2014, following the restructured framework of the Executive Yuan, NCDR received a new identity, "administrative entity", and is now operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
