Caught in the Net this week are thoughts on the state of biotech in Taiwan and Parkistan, and a new stop on the biotech conference calendar.

Wong Chi-huey, president of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, notes in Taiwan Economic News that Taiwan has lagged behind South Korea in the development of the biotech industry. For example, Seoul-based electronics behemoth Samsung has a dedicated biotech group that has partnered with two major US biotech firms to develop biosimilar drugs since last year. More of his thoughts can be found here.

The state of Pakistan’s life sciences industry was the subject of a talk organized by the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute. One of the speakers said Pakistan is a growing market for life sciences and biotechnology, and a country where these fields have great potential for beneficial social, economic and health impacts. Read more here.

San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt…if your biotech conference schedule is getting a bit routine, add Borneo to your itinerary. While the inaugural Bio-Borneo conference, aimed at further exploring the bioeconomy of Borneo, has just ended, it will be an annual event, according to Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Fadillah Yusof. Bio-Borneo 2013, co-organized by Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation and Sabah Development Authority, will be held in Kota Kinabalu. Read a conference recap here.