The 12th Taiwan-Thailand Bilateral Conference was held on November 14 (2024) at the NPUST College of Agriculture, giving focus this year to research that extends “From Sustainable Agriculture to One Health”. The occasion for bilateral academic exchange between Taiwan and Thailand included the three major fields of agriculture, food science, and veterinary medicine, and a total of 53 academic papers were published. Meanwhile, efforts were made to promote more intense industry-university cooperation and talent cultivation between the two countries. The conference was jointly opened by NPUST Vice President Shang-Min Ma and Kasetsart University (KU) Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Kornsorn Srikulnath. Scholars, researchers and industry figures from Taiwan, Thailand, and other countries were invited to participate in the seminar and share ideas and opportunities related sustainable development and international cooperation.
In his speech, Vice President Shang-Min Ma said “this year’s conference coincides with the 100th anniversary since the establishment of NPUST. It is also the 26th year since NPUST and Kasetsart University of Thailand (KU) signed a Memorandum of Academic Cooperation back in 1998. Over the years, our two universities have enjoyed many valuable opportunities to exchange experiences and create common prosperity through academic activities. Thailand is rich in agricultural and natural resources and is one of the most potential-filled countries for agricultural development in Southeast Asia. NPUST is actively expanding academic ties with many universities in Thailand, and this year has also welcomed teachers and students from Chulalongkorn University to participate in the conference and share knowledge from their respective professional fields. With a rich and diverse agenda, this conference will open up its participants to unique experiences and create more opportunities for academic exchanges and industry-university interaction in Taiwan and Thailand.”
Dr. Kornsorn Srikulnath expressed that he was honored to come to NPUST for the conference and participate in discussions on cooperation between agriculture and academia, and to exchange knowledge with members of various academic fields. He added that in “the future, we will continue to share resources with NPUST and work hard to promote industrial innovation and the well-being of the people”.
Over the past 26 years, NPUST and KU have cooperated on numerous academic projects and shared many experiences with one another. The first Taiwan-Thailand bilateral conference was held by NPUST in 2001, giving main focus to fields related to food science. The second one was hosted by KU at their Bangkok campus, with the conference themes extending to include agriculture, agricultural economics, forestry and animal science. Subsequently, the conferences have been held every two years, with NPUST and KU taking turns to serve as host. Over time, the conference also opened up its attendance sister schools in Thailand. This year, also Chulalongkorn University participated in the conference, along with scholars from Cornell University in the United States who came to share their research and join in on the academic exchange.
