TCELS/Bio Asia Pacific 2024

Editorial staff

Thailand’s healthcare industry value can soar to 253 billion baht by 2028, according to Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS).

Thailand's healthcare technology market is expected to grow robustly over the next five years to reach a value of 253 billion baht by 2028 from more than 195 billion baht projected this year.

Paiyada Hanchaisuksakul, Deputy CEO of the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), the second from left.

Paiyada Hanchaisuksakul, deputy CEO of TCELS, a public organisation under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technology, pointed to the potential of the country’s life sciences industry to sustain an annual growth rate of 6.73% between 2024 and 2028.

She said that the industry of life sciences, referring to the scientific study of life such as micro-organisms, plants, and animals including human beings, has become a mechanism for Thailand’s economic development and edging up its competitiveness on the global market.

Moreover, it is in line with the trend of medical tourism that is elevating Thailand to become a medical hub in Asia and Thailand's life sciences industry has seen a continuous good growth trend.

Ms Paiyada made the statement to underscore the importance of TCELS joining forces with the public-private sector and VNU Asia Pacific Co Ltd to stage the forthcoming Bio Asia Pacific 2024, the leading biological industry exhibition and academic conference in the Asia Pacific region.

TCELS sees Bio Asia Pacific 2024 particularly serving as a catalyst to level up the Thai industry with a platform to present the advancements in medical and health technology of the 21st century, generating businesses, forming joint ventures, partnership and collaborations in a way to put Thailand on the world stage.

To help Thailand’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the medical and health industry to capitalise in on the presence at the event, scheduled from 11 to 13 September 2024 at the BITEC Exhibition and Convention Centre in Bangkok, TCELS has joined forces with the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) to provide a participation subsidy.

The scheme will see OSMEP subsidising the cost of setting up an exhibition booth for SME entrepreneurs on a co-payment basis in the proportion of 50-80% according to the size of the business, but not more than 200,000 baht each. SME entrepreneurs can apply to join the project through the BDS online platform.

The Bio Asia Pacific 2024 comes under the theme of Green Sciences for Green Life, and held together with Thailand LAB International and Future CHEM International, over an area of more than 14,000 square metres at Halls 102 - 104, BITEC.

LAB International is one of the leading laboratory exhibitions in Asia while Future CHEM International is the new platform for conference and exhibition focusing on innovative solutions for the chemical industry.

There will be various activities throughout the three days of the event such as exhibitions, academic seminars, brainstorming sessions, business matchings and corporate presentations. In addition, there will be life science business idea contest including presenting cooperation with international partner network agencies.

Attendees will gain experiences from experts and leading brand owners in the fields of life sciences, biotech, medtech, digital health, precision medicine, biopharma and smart health services. The organizers of Bio Asia Pacific 2024 expect more than 250 exhibitors which own over 500 leading brands from more than 10 countries around the world taking part.

The event’s conference side covers wide-ranging topics in all sectors with professional lecturers from Thailand and abroad. More than 12,000 people from over 30 countries are expected to attend the event, with businesses worth over 250 million baht to be expected to arise.

Anucha Parnpichate, Senior Project Manager of VNU Exhibition Asia Pacific.

This year’s event is likely to be more vibrant than last year’s edition in terms of participation which saw 11,095 trade visitors from 34 countries, 3,823 conference delegates, 270 global companies attending and over 500 brands showcasing, according to Anucha Parnpichate, senior project manager of VNU Exhibition Asia Pacific.

Meanwhile, TCELS has teamed up with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISI) to promote the potential of Thai entrepreneurs in the areas of herbal cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, herbal products for health and herbal extracts.

The project involved, known as Cosmeceutical and Herbal Innovation with Business Link: CIB2024, incorporates a seminar on preparing product information and standards related to exports to European countries, focusing on environmentally-friendly products such as COSMOS (Cosmetic Organic and Natural Standard) standards.

There will be workshops on “how to do business successfully” to analyze business gaps, techniques for closing gaps and increasing business productivity; workshops on “how to negotiate business to get a job” to enhance business negotiation skills, learn the negotiation process and how to present products and services, according to Dr Patcharaporn Wongsa, program director for nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals at TCELS.