The APEC-ACABT team visited Singapore and Brunei in early February to prepare for the establishment of Chapters.
Before our meeting began, we acknowledged that during the 2026 APEC SOM1 meeting held in Guangzhou, the PPSTI invited the PPFS to organize a cross-fora dialogue on “Strengthening Policy Partnerships for Resilient Food Systems in the Asia-Pacific.” IAAS President Chih-Wei Lee, also the Singapore PPFS focal point and Chair of the Singapore Chapter of APEC-ACABT, helped build a foundation for future collaboration between the two fora. IAAS took invitation that serve as judges for the APEC-ACABT YES Challenge on September. Dr. Lee further suggested that future solution topics could be designed from the perspectives of industry practice and market demand, in order to attract participation from companies and investors, introduce venture capital support for participants, strengthen the long-term sustainability potential of the proposed solutions, and showcase successful cases externally.
On February 6, we held a meeting with Dr. Hanif, Vice President, and his team. We first introduced the background, objectives, and operational framework of APEC-ACABT. Universiti Brunei Darussalam was also formally invited to serve as the focal point for the Brunei chapter, with the aim of strengthening international linkages and enhancing regional collaboration. The importance of signing a future cooperation agreement—either a Letter of Intent (LoI) between centers or a university-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)—was also highlighted, pending internal discussion by the Brunei side. The Brunei team was also invited to attend the first APEC-ACABT Steering Committee Meeting, scheduled to be held online in April–May 2026, where the Brunei chapter may present its development vision. After the meeting, Dr. Lim guided a tour of his laboratory, which features national-level research facilities, and PhD students introduced the progress and preliminary results of their research projects. Both sides expressed hope to recruit research scholars from Brunei to Taiwan later this year to participate in the mid-year international training program and further strengthen research and talent exchange.
See more photos→ click here