ASCA8 Sets Vital Platform for Training, Collaboration, and Sustainability

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Inc., welcomes over 50 participants, partners, and experts to the 8th Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulation, and Communication (ASCA8). The short course, ongoing from September 8 to 12, 2025, features intensive discussions and experiential learning on key topics surrounding agricultural biotechnology—research and development, commercialization, regulation, and communication.

ISAAA Board Chair and former Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, Dr. William Dar, welcomed the ASCA8 audience, highlighting the key role of ASCA in facing agricultural challenges. “Innovation must always walk hand in hand with sound regulation, ethical responsibility, environmental sustainability, and open communication. This is why ASCA8 is so important. This short course is more than just a training program—it is a community of learners, a platform for collaboration, and a family of advocates. Together, we are shaping a future where farmers have better choices, where consumers enjoy safer and healthier food, and where societies become more resilient to climate change and other global challenges,” Dr. Dar said.

Aside from presentations and panel discussions, ASCA8 includes tours to biotech testing laboratories, a seed production plant, as well as experimental fields and biotech corn fields. These experiential learning activities provide the participants with a holistic understanding of the value chain related to the research, development, commercialization, and trade of living-modified organisms and gene-edited products.

During the opening ceremonies, Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Executive Director and Lead Organizer of ASCA8, extended her gratitude to all partners and sponsors who made the event possible. These include the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC), Pt-Bio, CropLife Asia, CropLife Philippines, CropLife Indonesia, CropLife Vietnam, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service/US Embassy Jakarta, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Bayer Asia Pacific, FuturaGene, National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Corteva Agriscience, and Science Communicators Philippines (SciCommPH).

For more details about ASCA8, send an email to knowledgecenter@isaaa.org.