The second meeting was in conjunction with the APEC Green Synergy Energy Solutions event and the ABBS 2024 International Symposium hosted in Thailand. The long-awaited physical meeting brought us more practical interaction and increased the possibility of cooperation in active. A total of 40 representatives from the 10 APEC member economies participating, including Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, attended the meeting (28 offline, 14 online).
Establishing chapters and branches was the priority of the agenda in the meeting. With the help of APEC-CTF, the frame of the Bangkok Chapter was formed systemically. Regarding the delegates from Chile, it is still discussing whether to organize another branch/chapter; or set up a division under the California Chapter.
Next, Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Dat, co-chair of the HCM Chapter and the Director of the External Relations Office of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, elaborated on ABBS 2025 with the theme: Green Transformation toward Net–Zero Future. According to the conclusion of the meeting, ABBS 2025 will be scheduled for September next year. However, the exact information will be more certain after internal discussions. What remains unchanged is that scopes have been determined as below:
A) Net-Zero Transformation
- BioH2: Microbial Magic, Renewable Pathways, Fermentation, BioH2 Production, Process Development, Applications
- STI Solutions: Biomass, Bioenergy, Biofuels, Bioprocess, Biorefinery, Bioproducts, Bioresources, Smart circular solution, System integration
- Social Solutions: BioCarbon-Neutral Commitment, BCG Economy & Sustainable Environment and Policy
B) Digital Transformation
- Smart System: AI, Smart Processes, Smart Grids
- Standardization: Instrumental Measurement, Data Science
Relevant administrative meetings will be held one after another, and updated news will continue to be posted. Meanwhile, because of recommendationYonsei University and Inha University, Korea, were tentatively assigned to host ABBS 2026. It is worth mentioning that APEC-ACABT could take this opportunity to expand the Seoul branch with these two universities.
