The 2024 Asian Science Park Association (ASPA) Annual Conference was held from August 19 to 21 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, hosted by the National Information Technology Park (NITP) of Mongolia. The Conference focused on the theme "The Role and Impact of Science & Technology Parks (STP) for Regional Development," addressing topics such as leading practices in science park management, science parks as pioneers of sustainable innovation, partnerships and commercialization, and future technology trends. The Conference featured around 20 keynote speakers from countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, who shared insights and engaged in discussions on these key topics.

(Above) Keynote speakers from Mongolia, Thailand and China (Dr. Herbert Hongbo Chen, the Deputy Director of Tsinghua University Science Park (TusPark) exchanged insights during the plenary session.

(Above) STPI researchers joined the ASPA Annual Conference together with representatives from Science Park Bureaus of Hsinchu, Central Taiwan and Southern Taiwan. Dr. Yeong Junaq Wang, the President of ASPA (6^th left); Dr. Young Jib Kim, the newly-appointed President of ASPA (5^th right); Dr. Sun Kook Kwon, the Secretary-General of ASPA (6^th right); Dr. Maw Shin Hsu, the Director-General of Central Taiwan Science Park (4^th right); Ms. Hsiu Jung Cheng, the Director-General of Southern Taiwan Science Park (5^th left); Mr. Shih Min Hu, the Deputy Director-General of Hsinchu Science Park (3^rd left).

The Conference agenda included a visit to the National Information Technology Park (NITP) of Mongolia, which was established in 2002 and serves as a leading institution in Mongolia's IT industry. NITP plays a pivotal role in supporting the government’s IT development initiatives, promoting the manufacturing of IT products, and nurturing startups within the industry ecosystem. Additionally, the agenda featured presentations from startups based in NITP such as Honmono Comics, which introduces Mongolia’s first augmented reality (AR) superhero comic series; Sem Bionics, focusing on IoT ecosystems; Oneplace.hr, which uses AI technologies for personnel analysis to help companies retain talents; and Socratus Studio, which nurtures startups through system engineering. The Mstars Hub Accelerator Program was also highlighted, showcasing how it aids early-stage startups in scaling their growth.

(Above) Group photo taken in front of NITP