Singapore: Thailand, which has been leading delegations and participating as an exhibitor in BIO International Convention for the past several years, emerged as a reckoning force at the 2013 edition of the event.

The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) and Thailand Center of Excellence in Life Sciences (TCELS) hosted a dinner talk during the event in Chicago, US. Professor Sirirurg Songsivilai, executive director, National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), Thailand, was invited to give the keynote talk to interested investors and entrepreneurs attending the event.

Prof Sirirurg cited that BIO is an excellent venue to showcase Thailand's advancement as a global player in the agricultural and medical sector. He said, "Thailand's drive to be a key player in the agricultural and medical sector requires us to stay up-to-date on technology advancement and to establish strategic alliance with key partners."

Prof Sirirurg highlighted that following biotechnology and pharmaceutical, Thailand is now set to emerge as a leading medtech hub. He pointed out that the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology will allocate $70 million (two billion baht) over five years to build facilities and systems that will promote Thailand as the production center for advance medical robots and regenerative medicine.

He added, "We have appropriate skilled human resources in robot development and medical engineering. If we want to become Asia's healthcare hub, it is necessary that we utilize this expertise and minimize the need to import robots from overseas."