Dear Colleagues, Distinguished Guests, Researchers, and Friends of APBEC, It is my great pleasure, as Founding President of the Asia Pacific Biomedical Engineering Consortium (APBEC), to warmly welcome you to the 2026 APBEC Symposium.
APBEC unites leading institutions, including Tsinghua University, Seoul National University, The University of Tokyo, National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, to foster collaborative research and education in biomedical engineering. Our vision is to advance multidisciplinary solutions that address healthcare challenges, drive medical innovation, including the transformative role of artificial intelligence, and enhance human health across the Asia Pacific and globally.
Building on the great success of the 2025 Symposium at Tsinghua University in Beijing, featuring 26 inspiring talks and the APBEC Young Scholars Award ceremony, we now convene in Seoul. Hosted by the Biomedical Engineering Department at Seoul National University, this event takes place on August 20 (Thursday) and 21 (Friday), 2026, under the theme "Real World Challenges Addressed by Biomedical Engineering".
This theme powerfully captures our core mission: translating cutting-edge research, including AI-driven approaches, into practical solutions for pressing real-world issues such as emerging diseases, aging societies, precision diagnostics, personalized therapies, and equitable access to advanced healthcare across our diverse region. Your presentations, discussions, and collaborations, especially those harnessing AI and data intelligence, will spark new ideas, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate innovations with tangible, life-changing impact.
I sincerely thank the organizing committee at Seoul National University for their excellent work, and all participants, speakers, sponsors, and supporters for their continued dedication to APBEC.
Let us make this Seoul gathering a powerful catalyst for collaboration, creativity, and meaningful change, propelled by the exciting integration of biomedical engineering and artificial intelligence. I look forward to productive exchanges and inspiring moments over the next two days.
Welcome to Seoul—welcome to APBEC 2026!
Warm regards,
I-Ming Hsing
Founding President Asia Pacific Biomedical Engineering Consortium (APBEC)