The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), through the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC), in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Thailand and CDTI-Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain organized on July 12th, a bilateral SPAIN-THAILAND Innovation Forum under the theme “Harnessing the potential of Nanotechnology in Future Health, Personalized Medicine & Wellbeing.”
The innovation forum was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Felipe DE LA MORENA, Ambassador of Spain to the Kingdom of Thailand, and Ms. Suchada THAENSAP, Political Secretary to the Minister of MHESI, on July 12, 2024, at the Ballroom A, 1st floor, Mandarin Hotel Bangkok
The forum aimed to strengthen scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries, bringing together, experts, researchers, and leaders in the health and nanosciences sectors from both Spain and Thailand to share on latest technology trends, exchange knowledge, forge new academic and innovation partnerships, and subsequently, tap into new business opportunities.
An 11 member R&D focused delegation from Spain coordinated by the Embassy of Spain and CDTI, Spain´s National Innovation Agency, consisting of 5 research centers, 5 innovative SMEs and the Spanish Technology Platform, Nanomed Spain, took part at the forum with expertise and hands-on experience ranging from nanodiagnostics and nanomaterials with biomedical applications to nanodrug delivery, nanoformulation and use of nanoparticles, amongst others, for more effective diagnostic, therapeutics, targeted and effective disease treatment.
A high-level roundtable envisioning the future of heath and opportunity for collaboration, with distinguished experts from the academic and business sectors in both countries, exchanged on how nanotechnology is shaping and impacting clinical diagnostic and healthcare treatment, its significant benefits and challenges.
The afternoon session featured B2B (Business-to-Business) and R2B (Research-to-Business) activities, a significant highlight of the event. For the first time, over 15 private companies and research institutions specializing in research projects and applications of nanotechnology to health and well-being from Spain and Thailand took part in the pitching sessions and subsequent one to one meetings to identify mutual interest and discuss potential collaborations and innovation partnerships in the area of health and nanotechnology; an initiative that aligns with the core objectives of PMUC, Thailand and CDTI, Spain.
Thailand-Spain partnership in research and innovation
The research & innovation partnership between Spain and Thailand is gaining momentum, as a result of the joint work and efforts of PMUC – Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand and CDTI-Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain. Both organizations signed an LoI in 2022, and this followed with a joint action plan for the period 2024-2026, which is translating into several initiatives, collaborations, and exchange of visits between both countries in focus sectors like agri-food, health, cleantech and circular economy and meant to enhance innovation cooperation and tech alliances between Spain and Thailand in agreed global challenges. PMUC and CDTI have committed to progress with the negotiation of an MoU to set up a joint bilateral mechanism to promote innovation cooperation and tech-based alliances between both countries.
A project for developing new rice varieties with enhanced health benefits has been jointly supported by PMUC and CDTI and is currently underway, involving Rice Science Center, Kasesart University, Spanish company COPSEMAR and research institute ICTAN/CSIC. New technology partnerships are being explored in areas like drug discovery from natural products and/or clean technologies or health. Thai universities, such is the case of Chulalongkorn, have been recently expanding their research and industry linkages with Spain, in areas like nanomedicine or food safety.
In less than 7 months, Thailand and Spain have coordinated 2 high level innovation forums in global challenges and areas where both countries have good level of technological and business complementarity: sustainable and healthy food production systems, and now, health, and more particularly, applications of nanotechnology to future health, personalized medicine and wellbeing, mobilizing R&D focused delegations from Spain to Thailand and involving the participation in each forum of more than 100 experts, and 10 agencies under the purview of MHESI, Thailand.
Ms. Suchada Thaensap state that “This event serves as a crucial platform for dialogue and networking, facilitating the exchange of technological trends in nanomedicine. It not only serves as a forum for knowledge exchange but also provides invaluable insights into the funding schemes from innovation agencies, CDTI in Spain and PMUC in Thailand. This initiative demonstrates our commitment to fostering innovation-driven research and development cooperation between Spanish and Thai organizations.”
H.E. Mr. Felipe DE LA MORENA stated, regarding the joint innovation cooperation between Thailand and Spain, that “Spain and Thailand have forged a strong partnership in innovation over the past two years, with remarkable collaboration between our ministries and agencies. A prime example is the successful cooperation between PMUC (Thailand) and CDTI (Spain), formalized in 2022 with a letter of intent. This has led to significant milestones, including our inaugural forum in November 2023 on food technology and processing, and today’s seminar focusing on biomedicine and biotechnology. These events are key to our joint action plan for 2024-2026, which encompasses vital areas like health, agri-industry, circular economy, and clean energy.”
Key Highlights of the bilateral innovation forum in Nanomedicine
- In-depth presentations on research and development capabilities, leadership, and infrastructure in health and nanomedicine in both countries.
- High-level panel discussions envisioning the future of health and opportunities for research and innovation cooperation.
- Showcase of innovative technologies, by entrepreneurs and researchers from Spain and Thailand and potential for developing new products, processes, services.
- Presentation of the Thailand-Spain Bilateral Framework, a program promoting research and development collaboration in innovation between the two countries.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thongchai Suwonsichon, Director of PMUC, stated that “PMUC’s approach to enhancing national competitiveness through health and nanomedicine integrates our strategy, supporting R&D capacities, visionary leadership, robust infrastructure, and global partnerships. Through our strategic initiatives, PMUC provides opportunities for the health and medicine industry, ensuring its position as a competitive player in the global market.”
Mr. Carlos DE LA CRUZ, Director of CDTI, stated that “Over the past 40 years, CDTI has been promoting and financially supporting, Spanish companies in their R&D journey. A testament of this, is that it has provided support over all this time to over 13,000 Spanish companies with crucial funding totaling more than 16.3 billion euros. Our collaboration with university research centers and companies in both Thailand and Spain is fostering a vibrant exchange of knowledge and technology. This partnership opens opportunities to advance in science, markets and new products for both counties”
This new innovation forum has provided an excellent platform for stakeholders for networking, and addressing global health challenges and prevalent diseases, exploring how nanotechnology, can shape and impact clinical diagnostic and healthcare treatment for the wellbeing of society
The Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC), a supporter of research funding to enhance the country’s competitiveness, aims to drive collaboration between the public and private sectors both domestically and internationally. The goal is to further research that can be practically applied commercially, enabling Thailand to overcome the middle-income trap.
