EEC Connecting Thailand – Switzerland collaboration with ABB, Roche and Siriraj Hospital.
EEC Connecting Thailand – Switzerland collaboration with ABB, Roche and Siriraj Hospital. This MOU’s signing event is to develop skills for a workforce on electrification, automation solutions and EV charging stations to support the Thailand 4.0, empowering industries in the EEC to drive the high-level medical technology for cancer treatment for Thai people as well as preparing to be the Medical Hub in Asian.
The Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO), with ABB Automation (Thailand), ABB Electrification (Thailand) and EEC with Roche Thailand, and the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, signed an MOU on skills development on electrification, automated solution, EV batteries and charging system, and high-level precision medical technology for cancer diagnosis and therapy. At this event, Mr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary-General of the EECO, with ABB Executives, Mr. Gianandrea Bruzzone, Authorized Director of ABB Electrification, Mr. Lumboon Simakajornboon, Authorized Director of ABB Automation, and Roche’s Executives, Mr. Farid Bidgoli, Managing Director as well as Professor Dr. Prasit Watanapa, MD, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University signed the MOU. In this regard, H.E. Helene Budliger Artieda, Swiss Ambassador to Thailand and the executives of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University personnel, witnessed the ceremony.
The 2 MOU with the leading Swiss private sector essential details is as follows.
1. ABB Electrification and ABB Automation’s Collaboration
EECO and ABB will collaborate to establish the “ABB Academy” Training Centre to improve EEC personnel’s skills in electrification, automation solutions and EV battery charging systems. The training will demonstrate new skills to improve personnel skills in EEC areas, such as EEC Silicon Valley, Rayong Tech Park, ABB RBC, and ABB Innovation Centre, Bangpoo, Samut Prakarn. The training aims to create 1,000 high-skilled personnel within 2 years to create jobs to support the industry 4.0 in the EEC areas.
2. Roche and Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital’s Collaboration
EECO with Siriraj Hospital and Roche (Thailand) will push forward the use of personalized cancer care to treat cancer patients more effectively. The EECO will cooperate with Siriraj Hospital and Roche to employ the high-level, global standard technology in comprehensive genomic profiling of cancer biopsy to choose cancer therapy plan that are even more precise and more effective. The data derived from this cooperation will be an essential part of driving policies to support the precision and personalized therapy technology to be well-known and accessible.
Mr. Gianandrea Bruzzone, Authorized Director, ABB Electrification (Thailand), said that ABB continues an improvement of digital technology for the future. After signing the MOU, ABB is delighted to collaborate with EECO to establish the Training Centre to build the high-level personnel skills, especially in electrification, automation solution, and EV battery charging systems. Since the designs are ABB-specific, expertise can provide the personnel to support the targeted industrial investment in the EEC and drive the usage of 5G digital technology to push Thailand forward in the Industry 4.0 era.
Professor Dr. Prasit Watanapa, MD, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, added that Siriraj Hospital, as Thailand’s leading medical and research institute, has been using ‘precision medicine’ in cancer research and treatment for more than 5 years. Tumor and germline testing with next generation sequencing are routinely used in cancer patients treated at Siriraj Hospital; to diagnose hereditary cancers, identify cancer gene mutations and select appropriate targeted therapies. As a result, cancer patients have better treatment response, less side effects, better prevention, and improved treatment outcome and quality of life. This collaboration will combine medical research and service from Siriraj with the world leading technology in tumor sequencing called ‘comprehensive genomic profiling’ (CGP) and cancer treatment from Roche, with the support from the EECO. This project will accelerate wider use of cancer genome testing in Thailand and better access of novel treatment, both of which are important factors for cancer precision medicine.
Mr. Farid Bidgoli, General Manager, Roche Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, emphasizes that Roche Thailand is proud to localize world-class CGP technology in Thailand to help healthcare professionals unveil the diversity of genomic mutations. We are committed to collaborate with the Siriraj Hospital and EECO to accelerate access to personalized CGP diagnostics, and treatment options, such as targeted therapies, and cancer immunotherapy, which are instrumental in improving patients’ clinical outcomes and quality of lives. Moreover, Roche Thailand has a strong commitment to work in conjunction with the EECO for knowledge transfer, which will undoubtedly drive economic growth through establishing Thailand as a world class medical hub for oncology care. The learnings, research and data generated from this partnership will inform Thailand’s health ecosystem in how it can deliver Personalized Healthcare and improved health outcomes for both international patients and Thailand citizens.
Mr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary-General of the EECO, concludes that today’s collaboration will be an essential step to connecting and attracting leading investors from Switzerland and European to invest in the industry 4.0 in EEC areas. This includes the promotion of cancer therapy with novel technology. This will create cooperation in operational research and development that will help Thai people to be accessible to precision therapy with advanced medical technology and to reduce the cancer incidence and sustainably improve standard for healthcare services.
