During November 13-15, 2023, at Mandarin Hotel, Bangkok
Dr. Lily Eurwilaichitr, ENTEC’s Assistant Executive Director led a session on the Microbial Innovations Through Biorefinery Infrastructure: A Pathway to Sustainable Energy and Environment as a part of the EU – ASEAN Regional Research Infrastructure Forum (RRI) Forum. The forum was co-hosted by Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), with the support of the European Union (EU) through E-READI (Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument). It offers greater opportunities for interdisciplinary research between ASEAN and dialogue partners and identify the regional demand in ASEAN for shared research infrastructure both intra-ASEAN and between ASEAN and dialogue partners including the EU and Japan.
The institutes within ASEAN showcased their readily available facilities, aimed at advancing microbial research and fostering innovative applications across various sectors, including foods, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy, and the environment. In addition, BBMRI, MIRRI and IBISBA, EU research infrastructure networks, also joined the discussion. The discourse covered crucial research infrastructures in Thailand such as Thailand’s Biorefinery Pilot Plant at EECi. The session also provided a platform for sharing and discussing EU experiences in both research and management of microbial and biorefinery facilities. Key topics encompassed infrastructure operation and sharing, capacity building, biorefinery processing, and adherence to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). The outcomes of this session help establish and implement a suitable model for sharing research infrastructure within ASEAN and between ASEAN and the EU.
