On November 19, 2025, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), in collaboration with key international and domestic partners, inaugurated the ASEANSafe 2025: Building Resilient Communities for a Safe ASEAN at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok.
Running from November 19-20, the event serves as a premier global platform for exchanging best practices, innovations, and strategies to ensure food safety across the entire supply chain, particularly in the face of growing challenges from climate change.
The event highlights the vital connection between public health, economic stability, and food safety, addressing the growing concern of foodborne illnesses across the ASEAN region. With global warming intensifying risks such as mycotoxin contamination, the conference stresses the importance of science diplomacy in fostering cross-border cooperation. Participants aim to harmonize research standards and build a robust, sustainable food system that protects consumers while supporting agricultural productivity and economic resilience.
Hosted by NSTDA’s National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), ASEANSafe 2025 showcases concrete achievements in food chain management, including the data-driven “Mycobean” and “mycoSMART” initiatives. A major focus of the event is the work of the International Joint Research Center on Food Security (IJC-FOODSEC)—a strategic partnership among BIOTEC, Queen’s University Belfast, and Thammasat University—which is addressing contamination challenges and developing advanced detection technologies to improve food safety systems.
Supported by the Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B), the conference also celebrates successful international collaborations under the Global Partnership Scheme. These initiatives underline the value of global research networks in strengthening food security, promoting sustainable resource utilization, and fostering capacity building and technology transfer across ASEAN.
By uniting scientific expertise, innovation, and international collaboration, ASEANSafe 2025 underscores ASEAN’s shared commitment to safeguarding the region’s food systems against emerging climate threats and ensuring a safer, more resilient future for all.