Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul, NANOTEC Executive Director, and Dr. Pavadee Aungkavattana, NANOTEC Deputy Executive Director participated in Asia Nano Forum Executive Committee Meeting 2023 (ANF ExCo Meeting 2023) and the 15th Nanotech Association Conference which were held in conjunction with the 22nd International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference (nano tech 2023), 1-2 February 2023, Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul, NANOTEC Executive Director and ANF President chaired the ANF ExCo Meeting 2023. Dr. Pavadee Aungkavattana, NANOTEC Deputy Executive Director and ANF Secretary, reported the committee about the ANF annual activities and financial status. The committee also had been informed the ANF initiatives activities to promote joint development and implementation of program/project on nanotechnology and advanced materials.
Dr. Waluree Thongkam, Senior Technical Officer of Nano-Safety Alliance Section, NANOTEC, participated this meeting as a representative of NANOTEC, to report the progress of ANF Nanosafety & Risk Management Working Group. This working group is to coordinate the issue of nanosafety activities in the region through the Asia Nano Safety network, including harmonization of nano safety training, safety-by-design approach to nanotechnology development and translational nano research.
In the afternoon session, Dr. Tanyakorn Muangnapoh, a researcher of Innovative Nanocoating Research Team, Nanohybrids and Coating Research Group of NANOTEC and Managing Director of NANO COATING TECH CO., LTD. (Thailand) represented NANOTEC as the invited speaker to giving a presentation on “Nano Coating Tech: Research-to-Commercialization” at ANF Workshop on Commercialization which was organized by ANF Working Group on Commercialization coordinated by Dr. Rezal Khairi Ahmad, ANF Vice President and working group coordinator. This workshop aims to share experiences in business related to nanotechnology research.
On 2 February 2023: Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul, NANOTEC Executive Director and ANF President, was invited to deliver a talk on “Nanotechnology Activities of NANOTEC, Thailand and Asia Nano Forum” at the 15th Nanotech Association Conference hosted by Nanotechnology Business Creation Initiative (NBCI) & JTB Communication Design. Mr. Jun’ichi Sone, Principal Fellow, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), who is one of ANF Executive Members, chaired the conference. This session was attended by speakers and participants from Canada, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and USA. The objective of this conference is to exchange information in each country and region on governmental policy/ direction for Nano Technology and discuss how to create Nano Technology Industry.
Dr. Pavadee Aungkavattana, a Deputy Executive Director of NANOTEC and Dr. Deanpen Japrung, the Director of Responsive Material and Nanosensor Research Group of NANOTEC, were the invited speakers at 2023 Symposium on User-Facility Network in Asia which was organized by Dr. Yasuo Koide (NIMS, JAPAN) and Prof. Ruslinda. A. Rahim (MOSTI, MALAYSIA), Coordinators of ANF working group on User Facility. Their presentation is on the Nano Characterization Facility and Networking in Thailand.
About Asia Nano Forum (ANF):
Established in 2004 with six co-founding countries namely Japan, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, India, and the United States. The ANF head office is located at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Singapore. There are currently 14 member organizations. Its mission is to promote responsible development of nanotechnology that educationally, socially, environmentally, and economically benefits each economy by fostering international network collaboration.
In 2022-2023, Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul was nominated as ANF President while Dr. Pavadee Aungkavattana was nominated as ANF Secretary. NANOTEC International Collaboration Section (ICO) served as ANF Secretariat Team to carry out the substantive and administrative work of ANF. The role of the ANF Secretariat Team included: 1) To organize the ANF events: ANF ExCo Meeting, ANF Office Bearers Meeting, ANF Summit 2) To support and facilitate the ANF members for the ANF activities and 3) To publish ANF Newsletter and ANF Annual Report on the ANF Website.
3 February 2023: NANOTEC delegates led by Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul visited Tokai University (Shonan Campus), Japan. The visit was arranged by Tokai University as a follow up of the first discussion at the STS Forum 2022 in Kyoto, JAPAN. Prof. Rio Kita (Director of the Micro/Nano Technology Center), Prof. Shigeru Yamaguchi, General manager global initiatives, and a group of researchers of the Micro/Nano Technology Center welcome NANOTEC delegates. Both NANOTEC and the Micro/Nano Technology Center explore the opportunity for collaborating on microfluidic, Microphysiological systems (MPSs) which can be an alternative method of animal tests for medical, pharmaceutical and bioscience medical research.
Tokai University, located in Kanagawa, was founded in 1942. It has 8 campuses across Japan, comprising 23 faculties and 62 departments, making it the largest private university in Japan. Tokai University has academic cooperation agreements with 8 institutions in Thailand, namely King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Mae Jo University, Khon Kaen University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (Faculty of Engineering, Architecture), Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology, Ministry of Public Health, Siam University and Chulalongkorn University (Faculty of Medicine).
Apart from a visit to Tokai University, NANOTEC Team had a meeting with Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to discuss a funding program and international research collaboration (SATREPS, SAKURA, e-ASIA JRP). Mr. Osamu Kobayashi, Director of Department of International affairs welcomed and presented the collaboration and partnership between JST and Thailand.
JST is an innovative mission-oriented national research funder, connecting a wide range of stakeholders and driving high risk research that generates real value for global society.
With an aim to extend the collaboration on Fiber Fabrication, Dr. Wannee Chinsirikul and Dr. Pavadee Aungkavattana had a meeting with Prof. Takeshi Kikutani, Professor of Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). Prof. Kikutani and NANOTEC researchers from Nanohybrids and Coating research group has collaborated in the topic of the development of polypropylene nanocomposite fibers since 2019.