Bangkok (Thailand) – October 29, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Ministry of Science and Technology, with the support of Mahidol University, NCC International Events Co., Ltd. (NCCIE), the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), has officially announced that Thailand will host RoboCup 2021 in Bangkok in June 2021. The event aims to solidify Thailand's position as a leading location for robotics and automation in the ASEAN region.

Dr. Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Science and Technology, stated: “RoboCup 2021 is a major event directly related to one of the target industries of Thailand 4.0. The Thai government is pleased to support it, as are the Ministry of Science and Technology, the TCEB, and all other relevant government agencies. I congratulate Mahidol University and NCC International Events on their successful bid to host this major international robotics competition. The event will contribute to the development of Thai professionals, as Thai robots are expected to reach international standards. At the same time, it facilitates the exchange of expertise between foreign robotics experts and Thailand, thus creating valuable practical experience.”

NCCIE, the main organizer, played a key role in securing Thailand the hosting rights for RoboCup 2021. The company has a long track record of successfully organizing major events in the Kingdom and boasts an experienced and highly skilled team that leverages its extensive expertise to ensure a smooth and harmonious event. Mr. Sakchai Pattarapreechakul, Managing Director of NCC International Events Co., Ltd., stated: “Thanks to the collaboration between the government, the private sector, and a leading educational institution, RoboCup 2021 will be another mega-event in Thailand. We have all contributed our expertise and network to ensure the success of RoboCup 2021 in Bangkok. It will also serve as a forum for entrepreneurs and scientists in the fields of robotics, automation, industrial robots, and service robots.”

Dr. Janekrishna Kanatharana, Executive Vice President of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), stated: “The robotics industry will play a crucial role in promoting Thai industry in line with the Thailand 4.0 strategy. Given the shortage of skilled workers and increasing competition, the demand for industrial robots has undeniably risen significantly. RoboCup 2021 will promote the development of robotics professionals and support ARIPOLIS (the Research and Innovation Center for Automation Systems, Robotics and Intelligent Systems) in the Eastern Economic Corridor for Innovation (EECI).”

According to Dr. Jackrit Suthakorn, Assistant Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Mahidol University and Chair of the Organizing Committee of RoboCup 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand: “The founding goal is to ensure that by 2050 a robot soccer team can beat the world champion, based on the rules of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). To achieve this goal, RoboCup has established several leagues, which in turn build collaborative networks for the exchange of academic knowledge in robotics between educational and research institutions worldwide. The competition attracts over 3,000 participants annually from 45 countries to its two main categories: the RoboCup Junior League for participants up to 19 years old and the RoboCup Major League for participants 19 years and older.”

The RoboCup Federation selected Thailand to host RoboCup 2021 due to its potential. The Kingdom previously hosted RoboCup Asia-Pacific in December 2017, which attracted over 1,500 participants from 14 nations worldwide. Furthermore, Thailand is a regular participant in RoboCup competitions and has won several RoboCup Federation awards. “RoboCup 2021 also promises to provide guidance for the efficient integration of robotics into manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, services, medicine, education, and entertainment,” added Suthakorn.

Ms. Supawan Teerarat, Vice President for Strategic and Business Development at TCEB, expressed her view that large-scale and world-class events are among the economic drivers that deliver tangible benefits. “With regard to RoboCup 2021, we, together with Mahidol University and NCC International Events, spearheaded the bid to host this mega-event in Thailand and ensured cooperation with all relevant government agencies to support the event. The event will not only strengthen the smart devices, robotics, and automation sectors in line with Thailand’s Industry 4.0 initiative, but will also boost tourism, as both tourists and robotics and automation experts are expected,” she explained.

“We are firmly committed to organizing more events in the field of robotics and automation in the future. We intend to hold such events regularly in order to internationally recognize the robotics expertise of the Thai people and to present Thailand as a leading robotics location in ASEAN,” concluded Pattarapreechakul of NCCIE.

For further information, please contact NCC International Events at +44 2229 3353 or by email at [email protected] or visit our website at www.nccthailand.com