Following several years of set-backs due Covid restrictions, the University Network for Tropical Agriculture (UNTA) has resumed business as usual. This year, the annual members’ meeting was hosted in Thailand on December 6th by founding-member, Maejo University. At the gathering, representatives of 12 member universities in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan addressed the theme of “Driving Economy for BCG Model: A Road to Sustainable Growth in High Value Products and Smart Agriculture”.
The General Meeting was officially launched on the morning of the 6th with Taiwan’s representative to Thailand, Ambassador Chuang Suo-hang, President of Meizhou University, Dr. Weerapon Thongma, and NPUST dean of international affairs, Vincent Shih, addressing the 80 plus participants. As the permanent secretary-general of UNTA, NPUST’s representative outlined the members’ common goals and reported on the points of discussion for the 2022 meeting. This was followed by the three main lectures of the morning.
Enthusiastic exchange and discussion took place between member schools during the afternoon’s President’s Forum, which was divided into 3 themes (“Technology & Innovation Transfer Network”, “Building Professional Entrepreneurs”, and “University Collaborations”). Acting on behalf of NPUST president Chin-Lung Chang, Office of International Affairs dean, Vincent Shih, proposed practical forms of cooperation, such as bilateral-research, student visits to Taiwan, dual-degree programs, and agricultural training courses for Southeast Asian countries—all with the aim of promoting university cooperation and social responsibility.
At the committee meeting, it was decided that Indonesia’s Brawijaya University will host the 2023 UNTA gathering, scheduled for August. Hopes are to have a greater number of university presidents participate in the meeting which will include an UNTA Memorandum of Cooperation Renewal Ceremony. As the 2022 UNTA Annual Assembly came to a successful conclusion, a grand ceremony also took place, as members put ink to an agreement on the creation of the “APEC Research Center for Advanced Biohydrogen Technology (ACABT)”.
