On 22 June 2026, the APEC Center for Technology Foresight (APEC CTF) convened a virtual meeting of its International Advisory Board (IAB) 1/2026 to seek strategic guidance and international perspectives on foresight, science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy, and future-oriented cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting brought together leading foresight experts from ten economies serving on the IAB, including Prof. Dr. Kerstin Cuhls of Fraunhofer ISI, Germany, Chair of the Board; Dr. Hien Thu Pham of CSIRO, Australia; Dr. Jieni Guo of the Beijing International Exchange Association, China; Dr. Felipe Donato Valentín Rojas of CONCYTEC, Peru; Dr. Byeongwon Park of STEPI, the Republic of Korea; Dr. Tan Shu Ying of MIGHT, Malaysia; Prof. Dr. Alexander Sokolov of HSE University, Russia; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sarah Lai-Yin Cheah of NUS Business School, Singapore; Dr. Rafiq Dossani of RAND Corporation, the United States; and Prof. Dr. Ozcan Saritas of RIT Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Surachai Sathitkunarat, Executive Director of APEC CTF and President of APEC CTF, provided an overview of the Center’s development and achievements. He noted that APEC CTF was established in 1998 following an initiative by the Thai delegation to APEC’s Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG). As the first and only regional foresight center within APEC, the Center currently serves as a long-term foresight mechanism and specialized center under the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI), with NXPO acting as the host organization.

During the meeting, Dr. Kommate Jitvanichphaibool, Assistant to the President of NXPO and Deputy Director of APEC CTF, presented the Center’s operational framework for 2026–2029. The framework is built around three strategic pillars: conducting foresight studies and developing policy recommendations; strengthening foresight capabilities among APEC member economies; and expanding the regional foresight network through collaborative research and partnerships.

The presentation also highlighted the draft Annual Report 2025, which summarizes the Center’s key achievements over the past year, as well as two proposed projects included in the 2026 work plan currently under consideration for endorsement by PPSTI. These projects are “APEC Young Futurists: Frontier Technologies and Solutions for Future Food,” which aims to cultivate the next generation of futurists through the theme of food futures, and “Strengthening Mission-Oriented Frontier Technology Commercialization Ecosystem in APEC,” which seeks to enhance the commercialization ecosystem for frontier technologies across the region.

Board members engaged in extensive discussions and provided valuable recommendations on the future direction of APEC CTF. Their comments covered the presentation of project outcomes and suggestions for the proposed 2026 projects. Members also expressed their commitment to supporting the Center’s work by facilitating connections with experts and institutions in their respective economies, assisting in participant outreach and selection, and providing feedback on future project proposals. The discussions underscored the important role of the International Advisory Board in strengthening the strategic direction, international engagement, and institutional capacity of APEC CTF as a regional foresight center. They also reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to leveraging foresight as a tool for policymaking under uncertainty and for advancing sustainable STI cooperation among APEC economies.