The biennial ASEAN Microbial Biotechnology Conference returns for its third edition this year in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, following the first in Thailand (2014) and second in Indonesia (2016).
Director-General of Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) YBhg Datuk Dr Mohamad Roff Mohd Noor officiated the conference in Kuching on 24th April 2018, in which he stated in his speech that the timeliness of the event that was in line with the “current economic transformation of bio-based industries.”
Themed ‘Bio-Economy from the Unseen’, he believed that the theme was “brilliantly chosen as the world is now opt to the use of microorganism for various applications”, including medicine, construction and other fields.
With five plenary sessions, 22 oral presentations and 51 poster presentations, 117 participants and speakers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and Malaysia are attending the two-day event (24th-25th April 2018).
It aims to provide a platform for strong collaborative network in microbial biotechnology research among local and ASEAN countries with their international partners.
The conference also provides the opportunity for participants to share research experience and update technology on development and utilisation of microbes for biotechnological application and the impact on the economy.
Microbial biotechnology is an interdisciplinary field of study that encompasses microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, chemistry and engineering bioprocess.