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The AUTM Annual Meeting 2026, an international annual conference organized by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), was convened in Seattle, Washington, United States of America, from 8 to 11 February 2026. The meeting served as a global platform for policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration in the areas of intellectual property management, technology transfer, and research commercialization.
On February 9, 2026, Professor Pewpan Maleewong, MD, Vice President for Research and Innovation, and Ms. Jiraporn Lueangphairin, Director of the Intellectual Property Center, Khon Kaen University, participated in the conference as part of the Thai university delegation led by Dr. Punpermsak Aruni, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI). The delegation comprised senior administrators from Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, Ubon Ratchathani University, and Khon Kaen University, as well as representatives from the Association of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Professionals (AITP) of Thailand. AITP attended the meeting as one of AUTM’s partner organizations, underscoring Thailand’s recognition of the importance of intellectual property management and technology transfer mechanisms at the national level.


In recent years, the Reinventing University Project has actively promoted concrete progress in intellectual property management and technology transfer. These policy-driven efforts have led to the successful establishment of AITP as a national professional association, serving as a central mechanism for integrating expertise, advancing professional standards, developing specialized human resources, and increasing the commercialization potential of research and innovation outputs.
Thailand’s participation in the AUTM Annual Meeting 2026 constituted a significant opportunity to present national policy directions and institutional practices to more than 2,000 international participants. The meeting facilitated high-level exchanges with global leaders and policymakers, fostered international cooperation to advance research utilization, and strengthened technical knowledge on effective pathways for translating intellectual property into socio-economic impact. Furthermore, the participation contributed to enhancing international recognition of Thailand’s emerging professional ecosystem in intellectual property and technology transfer.
Furthermore, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of MHESI and the delegation held discussions with Mr. Stephen J. Susalka, Chief Executive Officer of AUTM, regarding strategies to enhance the readiness of Thai researchers in developing and utilizing research outputs through intellectual property, as well as promoting the development of Thailand’s human resources in intellectual property management. On this occasion, AUTM executives also expressed their appreciation to Thailand for co-hosting the WIPO–AUTM International Knowledge and Technology Transfer Leadership Summit 2025, held from November 17 to 21, 2025, which received strong positive feedback and recognition from both domestic and international partner organizations.

