Meeting Of ASEAN Countries In The Field Of Quantum Science And Technology

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Meeting of ASEAN Countries in the Field of Quantum Science and Technology

Bangkok – On April 25-26, 2024, the first-ever meeting between quantum researchers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took place. They gathered for a program called “Strategizing Quantum Science and Technology in the ASEAN Context”.

Thailand hosted and chaired the organizing committee for this program, with support from PMU-B under the Office of National Higher Education Science Research & Innovation Policy Council (NXPO) and the Quantum Technology Research Institute Collaboration (QuTRic). Participating countries included Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Prior to the program, an online meeting among ASEAN representatives was held on January 17, 2024, to gather information on the current developments in quantum science and technology in each country.

The program was led by facilitator Dr. Clarissa Ai Ling Lee, a social science researcher from Monash School of Business/Asia School of Business, assisted by Dr. Choong Pak Shen from UCSI College, and co-facilitator Dr. Zeki Seskir, representing the Technology Assessment group from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

The main objective of the program was to plan an ASEAN-level event or activity related to quantum science and technology. Participants were exposed to methods of designing the best strategies to implement activities more systematically. This was because the field of quantum science was seen as still developing in the ASEAN region, except for Singapore which is more advanced. Several key factors were identified, including how quantum plays a role in education, collaboration opportunities, knowledge sharing, resources, and more.

The program also included sharing sessions and discussions led by Dr. Zeki Seskir and Dr. Kanchana Wanichkorn, Director of Sectoral Development of ASEAN. Dr. Zeki, who is also the project coordinator at KIT-ITAS, has extensive experience in the workflow and development of quantum technology initiatives across Europe. His talk is on and the “Responsible Quantum Science & Technology”. As a co-facilitator, Dr. Zeki also provided insights and ideas and looked at the potential capabilities of the quantum community in ASEAN as a whole.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kanchana shared about leadership in the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) sector of ASEAN, the ASEAN committee in STI, and ASEAN’s strategic planning in STI. Considering the rapid pace of quantum technology research worldwide, several ASEAN countries have initiated their own quantum field initiatives, including Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Dr. Kanchana further supported ASEAN’s quantum community efforts for any collaboration opportunities and activities within ASEAN, especially in the field of quantum science and technology.

Before the program concluded, a working committee was appointed representing ASEAN countries. An agreement was reached to select Malaysia as the host for the Quantum ASEAN Summit (QAS) in 2025. The organization of this program is part of the celebration of the “International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025” (IYQST) commemorating 100 years since the emergence of Quantum Theory. The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025 celebration has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).