{"id":33636,"date":"2025-04-30T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/?p=33636"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:18:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T05:18:24","slug":"mhesi-nxpo-advances-thailands-synthetic-biology-roadmap-to-foster-high-value-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/en\/33636\/","title":{"rendered":"MHESI-NXPO advances Thailand\u2019s Synthetic Biology Roadmap to foster high-value innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
On 30 April 2025, NXPO convened its Executive Board Meeting, chaired by Ms. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI). A key agenda item was the deliberation on Thailand\u2019s Roadmap for Synthetic Biology and Engineering Biology Development.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
NXPO President Dr. Surachai Sathitkunarat presented the roadmap, underscoring the importance of synthetic biology (SynBio) \u2014 a multidisciplinary field combining biology and engineering to design novel, efficient biological systems tailored to specific applications. This emerging technology offers significant potential to drive innovation in sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, clean energy, advanced materials, and alternative proteins, with the capacity to deliver wide-ranging positive impacts on society. Since late 2024, NXPO has actively advanced this agenda through regular SynBio Consortium meetings, which have garnered strong interest from public and private sectors both in Thailand and internationally \u2014 reflecting the growing global momentum in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Dr. Kantapich Preedakorn, Policy Developer at NXPO\u2019s Innovation Economic Policy Division, highlighted SynBio\u2019s vast market potential and diverse applications across multiple sectors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Agriculture: Crop improvement and biofertilizer development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Energy: Ethanol and biofuels from biomass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries: Enhancing treatment efficacy and supporting the wellness tourism sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Advancing these applications would reduce reliance on imports and promote the sustainable growth of Thailand\u2019s bioindustry.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Dr. Kantapich also emphasized the need to address key gaps, noting that while Thailand has a solid foundation in biosciences, it has yet to fully transition into deep technology development and currently holds no SynBio-related patents. This highlights an urgent need to establish legal frameworks, intellectual property systems, and talent development pathways to support this emerging field. The strategic plan calls for initiatives to create clear career pathways for professionals, alongside opportunities for graduates to upskill in synthetic biology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI). Thailand\u2019s 10-Year Strategy for Synthetic Biology and Engineering Biology aims to build a comprehensive ecosystem that strengthens research capabilities, promotes industrial adoption, and positions SynBio and engineering biology as national priority technologies. Key strategic actions include targeted funding allocations, co-investment programs with international partners, participatory public engagement activities, regulatory framework enhancement, international collaboration, and investments in frontier research, scholarship programs, and workforce development. Equally critical is the development of industrial technologies and market expansion initiatives through business support mechanisms, competitiveness enhancement funds, and incubation programs \u2014 all designed to establish SynBio and engineering biology as key drivers of national innovation and long-term economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For its next phase, NXPO will focus on three core areas: 1) Knowledge \u2014 developing SynBio curricula, research grant program, laboratories, and human resource capabilities, 2) Funding \u2014 supporting research initiatives aligned with roadmap priorities, and 3) Regulation \u2014 advancing the draft Biodiversity Act to provide a regulatory framework for the sustainable and responsible use of SynBio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting also recommended that SynBio development efforts span the entire value chain, actively involving SMEs \u2014 particularly those in agriculture and energy \u2014 and prioritizing the development of national infrastructure. Furthermore, mechanisms should be established to integrate science, research, and innovation with biological resource utilization and innovative product manufacturing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On 30 April 2025, NXPO convened its Executive Board Mee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1988],"class_list":["post-33636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-synbio-en"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/NXPO-and-OAE-explores-blockchain-applications-for-Thailands-crop-insurance-system-2.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/author\/adminsti\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/NXPO-and-OAE-explores-blockchain-applications-for-Thailands-crop-insurance-system-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33648,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33636\/revisions\/33648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/\u0e28\u0e38\u0e20\u0e21\u0e32\u0e2a-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_12-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_3-1-1536x1024-2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_2-1-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_1-1-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_8-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_9-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_14-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nxpo.or.th\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LINE_ALBUM_\u0e01\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e0a.-\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48-32568_250430_13-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n