The program on “China-Thailand Joint Laboratory on Microbial Biotechnology” led and applied by Prof. CAI Lei from State Key Laboratory of Mycology from Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) was approved and will be funded Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), China in the next three years on Jan. 12, 2018. The program aims to promote the cooperative research and resource sharing between IMCAS in China and BIOTEC, TISTR in Thailand.

It endeavors to collaborate on research and development related to microbial biotechnology and conduct capacity building via personnel training, technical training, equipment assistant, researcher exchange and implementation of outstanding young scientist training plan etc., so as to promote microbiology technology development of China and Thailand, and to realize regional research network on microbial technology in southeast Asia.

This joint laboratory also responds to the actions such as launching “The Belt and Road” science and technology innovative plan, carrying out scientific and people-to-people exchanges and co-building joint laboratory etc. referred by Chinese President XI Jinping on the opening ceremony of “The Belt and Road” international cooperation summit forum. China will put 50 joint laboratories into operation in the next five years.

From 2015 to 2017, IMCAS has carried out preliminary cooperation with BIOTEC and TISTR, and the First Forum on China-Thailand Joint Laboratory on Microbial Technology was held in Beijing in Sep. 2017. In Dec. 2017, LIU Shuangjiang, Director-General of IMCAS signed the Memorandum of Understanding with BIOTEC and TISTR in Bangkok, Thailand, to build China-Thailand Joint Lab on Microbial Biotechnology.