On 24 February 2016, an MOU signing ceremony was held between BIOTEC and the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) of Japan at Thailand Science Park. Present at the signing ceremony were Dr. Takashi Fukushima, Director General of NITE Biological Resource Center (NBRC) and Dr. Lily Eurwilaichitr, Deputy Executive Director of BIOTEC. The signing was witnessed by participants attending the International Workshop on Microbial Management and Utilization which is one of NITE-BIOTEC collaborative activities. The 5-year MOU fosters the scientific cooperation on the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources in Thailand and Japan.
BIOTEC and NBRC has been collaborating since 2005, focusing on long term joint research on microbial identification and unitization as well as a specific project in response to an unpredicted situation such as a devastating flood of 2011. In this project, BIOTEC and NITE joined hands with Chulalongkorn University to study on microbial community in the inundated areas which sponsored by JST and NSTDA under the J-Rapid program. Over a decade-long collaboration, more than 50 joint papers were published and a good number of BIOTEC researchers were trained in taxonomy. In 2013, BIOTEC and NITE launched an initiative on “curator course program for microbial resources management” aiming to build critical mass of personnel to expertly curate culture collections in Thailand. The Course has been offered annually since 2013 with over 200 participants so far. This year, the course is expanded to include international audiences.
For this current phase, BIOTEC and NITE will continue its collaboration on research collaboration, staff and information exchange, as well as capacity building.
The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) is an Agency Engaged in Administrative Execution under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to provide reliable technologies and information that underpin public safety and help overcome the challenges of the future. The Biological Resource Center of NITE (NBRC) is operating one of the largest culture collections in the world. The Center is also actively engaged in the genome analysis of microorganisms and the biosafety assessment of microorganisms, including genetically modified microorganisms, in industrial use. In addition to these leading activities in biotechnology, the institute is offering a vital contribution to the society in the fields of chemical management, accreditation, and consumer product safety.