Project Brief Description:

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is high on the agenda of APEC, as stated in the 2005 Leaders Declaration regarding Influenza Pandemic preparedness. For APEC to have sufficient preparedness, all control options - pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical, must be considered and fully explored. In most cases these options require new technological developments and/or convergence between existing technologies.

This project aims to enhance the region’s capacity in using converging technologies, i.e. two or more disparate technologies or disciplines that come together, to contribute to the prevention and management of emerging infectious diseases that could become widespread in the APEC region. In the first stage (self-funded, to be conducted in 2006) the project will identify a group of converging technologies by using bibliometric analysis and scenario planning. Then in the second stage (to request additional funding from APEC), through workshops in Japan and Chinese Taipei or Korea in 2007, it will invite experts in various technological areas throughout APEC to jointly build roadmaps of these technologies. Since technologies usually take time to develop, this participatory process will stimulate immediate action needed to be taken today, and guide future collaboration in the region towards the next decade, in the perpetual combat against diseases.

The final output, the technology roadmaps, will provide specific recommendations for governments of member economies, the academia, and the industry to cooperate and respond to the region’s urgent need in not only short term but medium to longer term. Particular attention will be given to providing of clear guidance (with performance measures and targets) for technological and human capacity building in developing members of APEC, where infectious diseases are prevalent and resource is scarce. The expected outcome is for APEC to maintain long term security through practical solutions in managing infectious diseases and bioterrorism. The APEC Health Task Force is already informed of this project and close exchange is established.

Project Overseer:
Dr. Chatri Sripaipan
Senior Advisor
National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand
Address: NSTDA, 73/1 Rama VI Rd, Rajdhevee, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: 66-2-644-8150 Ext. 703
Fax: 66-2-644-8020
E-mail: chatri@nstda.or.th