On 25 April - 4 May 2024, a delegation from Mae Fah Luang University (MFU), led by President Asst. Prof. Dr.Matchima Naradisorn and Prof. Dr.Sujitra Wongkasemjit, Vice President visited the University of Bonn (UKB) and the University Hospital Bonn, Germany. They were joined by representatives from MFU’s partner universities under the Reinventing University System: Prince of Songkla University and Walailak University.
The delegation was warmly received by Prof. Bernd Weber, Dean of the Medical Faculty and researchers at UKB. This visit aimed to further explore potential research collaborations, building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Mae Fah Luang University and the University of Bonn in October 2023. The University of Bonn is a renowned higher education institution in Germany and Europe, particularly known for its intensive research focus.
Discussions were held with executives and professors from the Faculty of Nursing, the Medical Faculty and the Faculty of Agriculture at UKB. The meetings resulted in promising developments to strengthen joint research efforts. An initial project has already been initiated under the leadership of PD Dr. Gudrun Ulrich-Merzenich from UKB and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rawiwan Charoensub, Head of the Medicinal Plant Innovation Center at MFU. The project focuses on translational phytomedicine and phytopharmacology, new processes for drying and extracting medicinal plants to improve their usability in medicine, pharmacology, dietary supplements and cosmetics, investigations to reduce heavy metal uptake in soil by medicinal plants and the further development of stem cell and CAR-T cell therapy.
Additionally, MFU and Prince of Songkla University (PSU) are aiming to cooperate with the UKB's Nursing Directorate to recruit and provide further qualifications for graduated Thai nurses looking to work at UKB. The delegation also participated the International Synergy Expert Meeting. In the coming years, the partners from Bonn and Thailand plan to jointly establish a transdisciplinary research and innovation cluster: "Sustainable and Translational Phytomedicine". This cluster will focus on the essential aspects and research areas related to the modern use of medicinal plants and the development of natural products "from the field to the laboratory to the people". They also discussed further collaborative research activities between University of Bonn and Mae Fah Luang University, Prince of Songkla University, and Walailak University within the “Reinventing University Programme”.
These collaborative research efforts aim to elevate herbal research for global medical applications and foster academic cooperation with world-renowned researchers. This collaboration will undoubtedly contribute to advancing research and innovation success at MFU and its partner universities.
