Marine Biotechnology Sector.
Uncertain or speculative development potential
Overview.
Marine biotechnology is an emerging, knowledge-intensive sector in Southeast Asia that applies science and technology to marine organisms to create products and services for health, industry, food systems, and environmental management. It supports the region’s transition toward a blue bioeconomy, enabled by rich marine biodiversity, expanding algae cultivation, and rising demand for high-value bio-based materials and solutions. Despite this potential, the sector is still constrained by limited research and development ecosystems, regulatory gaps, biosecurity concerns, and unresolved issues related to equitable access to genetic resources and benefit sharing.
Across ASEAN, countries are building capability to harness marine biological resources for innovation, with Indonesia and the Philippines playing leading roles in seaweed and microalgae production. Regional biodiversity data and patent analyses show a wide range of species entering early-stage research pipelines, yet progress is slowed by modest biotechnology investment, limited specialised laboratory and bioprocessing infrastructure, and fragmented governance arrangements. While global markets for blue biotechnology applications continue to expand, including nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, bio stimulants, biofuels, and environmental remediation, ASEAN’s ability to participate fully depends on stronger scientific capacity, fair and transparent regulatory systems, and innovation that aligns with ecosystem health and community priorities.
Within this broader sustainability and governance landscape, marine biotechnology intersects with fisheries, conservation, health, industrial processing, and coastal communities because it relies on access to marine organisms, healthy ecosystems, specialised laboratory and bioprocessing capability, and fair arrangements for the use and sharing of genetic resources. These cross-sector dynamics shape innovation pathways, livelihood opportunities, and ecosystem integrity, while also supporting circular economy and climate resilience goals through bio-based materials, waste valorisation approaches, environmentally friendly bioproducts, and nature-based solutions that contribute to sustainable industries and more resilient coastal economies across ASEAN.
Explore how Marine Biotechnology is positioned for each of the
Blue Economy Capitals.
Financial Capital.
Financial Capital.
According to UNCTAD (2025), marine biotechnology industry valued at USD 4.2 billion in 2023 and projected to reach USD 6.4 billion by 2025. This industry is accelerating on the back of breakthroughs that turn ocean biodiversity into practical, scalable solutions. Growth is being driven by low‑carbon marine foods (such as algae- and seaweed-derived proteins, precision‑fermented omega‑3s, and novel aquaculture feeds), next‑generation antibiotics sourced from marine actinomycetes and extremophiles to combat antimicrobial resistance, and bio‑based materials including chitin/chitosan polymers, alginate fibres, sustainable bioplastics, and marine enzymes for green chemistry.
With regulatory tailwinds and rising ESG demand, marine biotech is transitioning from niche innovation to a strategic pillar for food security, health, and materials decarbonisation. Marine biotechnology is also embedded in a much larger ocean economy. Globally, fisheries and aquaculture contribute about USD 100 billion per year, while offshore oil and gas contribute about USD 27 billion and USD 900 billion, creating large adjacent markets that marine biotechnology can help diversify (Ramli & Waskitho, 2023; Morgan et al., 2022). Marine biotechnology helps diversify these industries by adding new bio‑based products, potentially supporting more sustainable practices across ocean industries. Within ASEAN, the Blue Economy Framework explicitly recognises marine biotechnology, bioprospecting and aquatic data analytics as priority sectors (ASEAN, 2023; Ramli & Waskitho, 2023).
Although marine biotechnology activity within ASEAN remains relatively limited compared with more established regions, global trends indicate that marine biotechnology is becoming an increasingly important component of the blue economy. The global marine biotechnology market has expanded steadily over the past decade, driven by rising demand for marine-derived pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, bioactive compounds, and sustainable industrial applications, and is projected to continue growing over the medium term (Business Research Insights, 2026; Mordor Intelligence, 2026). This global momentum highlights a growing economic space that ASEAN could strategically benefit from, given the region’s exceptional marine biodiversity and its strong dependence on ocean-based economic sectors. However, capturing these opportunities will require sustained investment in research infrastructure, strengthened human and institutional research capacity, and supportive policy and regulatory environments that encourage innovation, regional collaboration, and commercialisation (ASEAN, 2025; Ramli & Waskitho, 2023).
In Southeast Asia, the Asian Development Bank’s Financing the Ocean Back to Health in Southeast Asia report emphasises the need for more targeted and catalytic financing across emerging blue economy sectors, while noting that funding remains heavily concentrated in established areas such as coastal infrastructure, fisheries, and pollution control rather than in research intensive and innovation driven fields such as marine biotechnology (Asian Development Bank, 2021). The report does not provide sector-specific investment estimates for marine biotechnology, reflecting both the limited scale of current project pipelines and the absence of dedicated financing frameworks for this field (Asian Development Bank, 2021). Analysis by the OECD similarly shows that development cooperation in ocean-based sectors continues to prioritise traditional maritime infrastructure and transport, with comparatively limited support directed toward newer and innovation-oriented activities, including marine science, research, and biotechnology (OECD, 2025). Together, these findings suggest that ASEAN’s current financial capital base for marine biotechnology remains relatively thin, but they also point to substantial scope for growth as global blue economy investment expands and development partners increasingly shift attention toward higher value, knowledge-driven ocean sectors (OECD, 2020; Asian Development Bank, 2021).
Broader blue economy financing initiatives are beginning to strengthen the enabling environment for innovation in Southeast Asia, as development partners pivot toward policy reforms and catalytic finance that integrate ocean health with growth objectives (OECD, 2025; ADB, 2021). In 2025 the Asian Development Bank approved a USD 500 million policy-based loan for the Philippines’ Marine Ecosystems for Blue Economy Development Program, with parallel cofinancing from Agence Française de Développement and KfW that lifts total support to about USD 970 million, to advance coastal resilience plastic reduction and cross-sector marine innovation (ADB, 2025; BusinessWorld, 2025). Although the program is not specific to marine biotechnology, policy-based operations of this scale can establish the policy and institutional conditions that enable future innovation-oriented ocean sectors, a direction that aligns with OECD guidance on development cooperation for sustainable ocean economies (ADB, 2025; OECD, 2025).
Across ASEAN, financial capital for marine biotechnology remains concentrated in research institutions and early-stage innovation, with support commonly channelled through public research grants and university-based programs in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia (ICAMB UMT, 2026; UPM MARSLAB, n.d.; BIOTEC NSTDA, n.d.; NSTDA, 2025; Chulalongkorn University, 2025; DOST PCAARRD, n.d.; Daily Guardian, 2024; BRIN–KONEKSI, 2024). Detailed funding levels are rarely disclosed and commercial-scale investment remains limited, a pattern consistent with broader findings that development cooperation and blue finance in the region still prioritise established ocean sectors over newer innovation-led areas (OECD, 2025; ADB, 2021; UNCTAD, 2025). Even so, accelerating global market growth in marine biotechnology and the emergence of regional blue economy financing point to a meaningful opportunity for ASEAN participation if funding and enabling frameworks continue to mature.
Physical Capital.
Physical Capital.
ASEAN’s marine biotechnology sector increasingly draws on shared physical infrastructure, notably a network of bioresource repositories and region‑wide microbial data platforms coordinated through the ASEAN Centre on Microbial Utilisation (ACMU) and partner facilities such as the Thailand Bioresource Research Center (TRBC) (ACMU, n.d.; TRBC, n.d.; Napompeth, 2010). The ASEAN Microbial Database (AmiBase), serves as a central resource that consolidates microbial diversity information from national and institutional culture collections, academic publications, and public databases to enable cross‑country discovery and reuse (ACMU, n.d.; BIOTEC, 2019).
Currently, twenty‑three culture collections from seven ASEAN countries contribute records to AmiBase, formalising data flows from participating repositories and improving regional comparability (AMCU, 2020). AmiBase is aiming for more than a list since it brings together microbe records with genome and microbiome data and includes built in tools to identify species, profile communities, and compare datasets, which supports everyday research and innovation. By sharing one regional repository, ASEAN countries can more easily catalogue, compare, and use microbial resources for biotechnology, which helps speed up research across member states.
ASEAN’s marine science and biotechnology capacity is strongly supported by regional physical infrastructure coordinated through SEAFDEC, an intergovernmental body with 11 member countries. Through the ASEAN–SEAFDEC Strategic Partnership, SEAFDEC implemented 23 regional projects in 2024, highlighting shared facilities and coordinated research across Southeast Asia (SEAFDEC, 2025; ASEAN–SEAFDEC, 2007).
A major hub within this system is the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) in the Philippines. Its Tigbauan Main Station is a 40-hectare integrated research complex with hatcheries, broodstock facilities, feed mills, and biotechnology laboratories. AQD also operates freshwater (Binangonan), brackishwater (Dumangas), and marine (Igang) stations, allowing applied research across different aquatic environments and providing reliable access to biomass and pilot-scale production systems (SEAFDEC, n.d.). ASEAN’s physical capital also includes advanced survey and monitoring assets. The research vessel M.V. SEAFDEC 2 was equipped in 2021 with a SIMRAD EK80 scientific echosounder, enabling high-resolution acoustic surveys (10–500 kHz) for standardised fish stock and ecosystem assessments across the region. These data directly support fisheries science, ecosystem analysis, and downstream biotechnology applications (SEAFDEC, 2023).
Overall, SEAFDEC’s shared laboratories, multi-station research facilities, hatchery systems, and research vessels form the core physical infrastructure underpinning ASEAN’s marine biotechnology and fisheries research. While national capacities differ, this regional platform provides a strong foundation for collaboration, technology development, and future sector growth.
Human Capital.
Human Capital.
Southeast Asia’s marine biotechnology is shifting from promise to practice, with regional frameworks now listing biotechnology as a blue‑economy priority (ASEAN, 2023). The framework emphasis matters because it helps convert the region’s exceptional biodiversity into skills, research outputs, and investable platforms for bioactive compounds, aquaculture technologies, and bioprocessing (Tan et al., 2025; FAO/APFIC, 2023). ASEAN’s marine‑biotechnology human capital is steadily developing through a regional system of training programmes and shared research facilities that build practical skills in aquaculture, molecular work and marine resource assessment. With millions of people across ASEAN employed in capture fisheries and other coastal activities, the region has a substantial ocean‑dependent workforce whose livelihoods stand to benefit from broader blue economy development, including opportunities associated with marine biotechnology and related science‑based sectors (Mortelliti & Meng, 2025).
Talent pipelines and research capacity are expanding in several hubs. In Thailand, Chulalongkorn University’s Center of Excellence for Marine Biotechnology explicitly targets graduate production, applied R&D for aquaculture and marine bioresources, and industry partnerships, which helps translate training into practical outputs (Chulalongkorn University, 2025; 2026). In the Philippines, the UP Marine Science Institute offers master’s and doctoral specialisation in Marine Biotechnology, combining laboratory training with field stations and emerging biobanks, which strengthens the local discovery and scale‑up pipeline (UP‑MSI, 2026). These academic nodes are increasingly connected to regional extension systems and technical training in aquaculture, so laboratory skills link to production and value chains (SEAFDEC, 2024; 2026).
Drug discovery from marine natural products is a central area of progress. A 2025 regional synthesis documents rapid growth in bioprospecting across Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, with sponges, tunicates, soft corals, algae, and marine microbes yielding metabolites with antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti‑inflammatory activity, although capacity remains uneven across countries (Tan et al., 2025; Tan & Hanif, 2025). Indonesia’s literature alone reports hundreds of characterised compounds and several notable leads, underlining how megadiversity is being translated into molecular libraries and candidate scaffolds, even if commercialisation is still emerging (Nugraha et al., 2023; Hanif et al., 2019). Singapore’s community is also consolidating with omics‑driven and microbiome‑focused discovery paths, which complement field‑based collections across the region (Tan et al., 2025).
Seaweed biotechnology and aquaculture are becoming important platforms for inclusive growth, product development, and carbon nature services. The GEF funded Blue Horizon program with SEAFDEC, BFAR in the Philippines, and Viet Nam’s Directorate of Fisheries is building regional capacity, technical standards, and value‑chain pilots for seaweed, including sites in Palawan and Zamboanga, which connect farming practices to processing and higher‑value uses such as bioplastics and feed additives (GEF, 2020; SEAFDEC, 2024). Recent steering meetings in Palawan and national pages from BFAR signal implementation momentum, which is key to moving from proof‑of‑concept to investable seaweed biorefineries across the region (Badilla, 2026; BFAR, 2022). In parallel, SEAFDEC’s broader training and extension reinforce good aquaculture practices and workforce skills that marine biotech firms depend on for reliable biomass and traceable inputs (SEAFDEC, 2024; 2026).
The enabling environment is gradually strengthening for marine biotech. Malaysia’s National Biotechnology Policy 2.0 sets explicit targets for talent recognition and institutional excellence, which is relevant to marine applications and industry linkages, while ASEAN’s harmonisation guidelines and FAO ASEAN standards work provide building blocks for aligning competencies and quality systems across borders (Bioeconomy Corporation, 2022; ASEAN, 2022).
Coordinated standards and mutual recognition reduce fragmentation and enable laboratories and firms in ASEAN’s marine biotechnology value chain to scale regionally by accepting accredited test, inspection, and certification results across borders (ASEAN, 2025; Department of Standards Malaysia, 2025; International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, n.d.; Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation, n.d.). This regional alignment complements the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework and national blue economy roadmaps that link ocean‑sector growth to skills, research infrastructure, and inclusive participation (ASEAN, 2023, n.d.; Bappenas-RI, 2023, 2024).
To sustain momentum, three priorities stand out. First, continue deep integration of university laboratories with aquaculture and seaweed value chains, so discovery, cultivation, and processing co‑evolve and feed investable ventures (UP‑MSI, 2026; SEAFDEC, 2026). Second, expand regionally coordinated bioprospecting and compound libraries with shared protocols and access frameworks, so promising leads move efficiently toward preclinical pipelines with equitable benefit sharing (Tan et al., 2025; Nugraha et al., 2023). Third, keep aligning standards, talent accreditation, and funding mechanisms at ASEAN level and within national blue‑economy strategies, so firms can scale R&D and manufacturing without regulatory friction (ASEAN, 2022, 2023).
Social Capital.
Social Capital.
Across ASEAN, governance of marine biotechnology is anchored in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol which require prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms for access to genetic resources and for equitable sharing of benefits from their utilisation including marine genetic resources within national jurisdiction (CBD, 2026; WIPO, 2010). Regional uptake is uneven across members as noted by the ASEAN Clearing House and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity which reports differing stages of ratification and implementation and highlights Viet Nam as an early mover with an operational permit system (ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, 2019). Asia Pacific policy reviews also identify gaps in compliance systems cross agency coordination and inclusive participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities that directly affect marine research and development pipelines (UNDP, 2025).
Country practice illustrates this variation. Malaysia operates a comprehensive access and benefit sharing framework through the Access to Biological Resources and Benefit Sharing Act 2017 and the 2020 Regulations supported by a national portal and competent authorities that handle permits and agreements for terrestrial and marine access (Government of Malaysia, 2017; MyABS Malaysia, 2021). Viet Nam implements access and benefit sharing under the 2008 Biodiversity Law and Decree 59 of 2017 with detailed guidance on licensing prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms which apply to resources in marine and coastal settings (Union for Ethical BioTrade, 2018; MONRE Viet Nam, 2018). The Philippines pioneered access and benefit sharing through Executive Order 247 of 1995 and is strengthening practice via a Global Environment Facility and UNDP project led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau for the period 2021 to 2027 with relevance to aquatic and marine collections (PCAF, 2019; UNDP Philippines, 2021). Indonesia ratified the Nagoya Protocol through Law 11 of 2013 and has been preparing implementing rules to ensure fair benefit sharing from commercial utilisation of genetic resources with complementary oversight through fisheries and quarantine laws that are pertinent to marine genetic resources (Antara, 2025; Rusdianto et al., 2022). Thailand applies access and benefit sharing through a combination of sectoral instruments including plant variety protection traditional knowledge and biodiversity committee regulations that researchers navigate on a case-by-case basis for bioprospecting (Union for Ethical BioTrade, 2019).
A new layer for ASEAN marine biotechnology is the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty also known as the BBNJ Agreement which entered into force on 17 January 2026 and establishes benefit sharing obligations for marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction including non-monetary and monetary sharing linked to commercialisation with attention to digital sequence information(United Nations, 2026). UN and academic briefings emphasise that Part II on marine genetic resources and digital sequence information will require national measures and Conference of the Parties decisions on modalities aligned with the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Goal C and Target 13 (UNEP, 2025; Oke et al., 2024). In parallel, the CBD process has launched a multilateral mechanism for benefit sharing from the use of digital sequence information including a global fund which will shape how ASEAN laboratories share benefits from sequence-based marine research and development even when no physical sample crosses borders (ABS Initiative, 2026).
Looking ahead governance priorities for ASEAN marine biotechnology include closing implementation gaps through effective permits checkpoints and user compliance while ensuring robust participation by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities clarifying how access and benefit sharing applies to digital sequence information intensive workflows and coordinating ocean and biodiversity agendas regionally through the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment so that marine innovation and conservation progress together (UNDP, 2025; ASEAN, 2022) Practical compliance guidance for researchers stresses due diligence including checking provider country laws before sampling or receiving material or data securing prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms obtaining an internationally recognised certificate of compliance where available documenting transfers and implementing user compliance measures adopted by jurisdictions (Kumar, 2018; Swedish EPA, 2026; CBD, 2026).
Natural Capital.
Natural Capital.
In the ASEAN region marine biotechnology potential is particularly evident in algae cultivation which represents a significant opportunity for the expansion of blue biotechnology in ASEAN (FAO, 2021; UNIDO, 2025; Basyuni et al., 2024). Countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines contribute significantly to Asia’s dominant share of global seaweed and microalgae production, positioning the region with a strong resource base for future innovation (Tabrani et al., 2024; Chung et al., 2024; Hongsthong et al., 2020; Nagabhatla et al., 2020). Although only a small fraction of the many known micro‑ and macro‑algae species is currently cultivated, these species have broad potential applications across nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biostimulants, biofertilisers, biofuels, environmental remediation and other high‑value marine bioproducts. This availability of marine biomass gives ASEAN considerable scope to develop and scale new blue‑biotechnology industries (Tang et al., 2025).
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility recorded more than 6.35 million biodiversity occurrences across ASEAN, covering 147,036 species (World Intellectual Property Organization [WIPO], 2019). Marine species make up a significant portion of this wider biodiversity dataset, though reported figures vary depending on how species are classified within available records. The WIPO biodiversity chapter notes that ASEAN’s marine biodiversity is dominated by major groups such as fishes, crustaceans and molluscs, as well as key coastal plants like mangroves, all of which are central to marine bioprospecting and bioactive discovery.
WIPO’s patent analysis identified 73,164 life-science patent documents mentioning ASEAN between 1990 and 2009, which were consolidated into 38,120 unique first filings. This demonstrates that ASEAN’s broader biodiversity is already informing research activity. While patenting activity remains modest by global standards, with annual patent-family counts peaking at about 100 in 2015, according to the WIPO patent chapter, marine species also feature among the many organisms entering early‑stage research and product pipelines (WIPO, 2019).
ASEAN’s natural capital for marine biotechnology rests on the region’s extraordinary microbial diversity which underpins discovery bioprospecting and innovation. That diversity is being documented and made findable through the ASEAN Microbial Database AmiBase a regional platform that consolidates records from national culture collections scientific publications and major global biodiversity sources including Catalogue of Life GBIF and NCBI. This initiative was launched through collaboration between Thailand’s National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and it continues to expand under the ASEAN Centre on Microbial Utilisation (BIOTEC, 2019; ACMU, 2026).
Institutional foundations reinforce this natural capital. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and BIOTEC formalised the project through a memorandum of cooperation to establish and maintain the regional microbial resource database and the ASEAN Network on Microbial Utilisation continues to train and convene participating institutions around data standards and shared tools for AmiBase. Together the organised microbial diversity and the culture collection infrastructure provide an immediate and tangible base for marine biotechnology development across the region while broader marine ecosystems offer additional potential for future expansion (ACB, 2019).
Marine biotechnology exhibits substantial and credibly attainable development potential in ASEAN region. For example, researchers at the University of Wollongong are turning Australian seaweed into wound healing and regenerative biomaterials, especially ulvan enhanced bioinks that mimic skin glycosaminoglycans together with alginate dressings and other plant derived ECM like polymers, engineered for antibacterial anti-inflammatory and tissue regenerative performance and designed for scalable fabrication including 3D bioprinting and the handheld BioPen or AxceldaPen (University of Wollongong, 2021, 2026; Chen et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2024; MTPConnect, 2020). In these systems ulvan from Ulva is formulated into bioinks that strengthen printed scaffolds and promote dermal ECM deposition while alginate from brown seaweeds remains a workhorse hydrogel for dressings and bioinks across skin and other tissues ( Chen et al., 2021; Cui et al., 2024; Rahman et al., 2024). This demonstrates how marine macroalgae can supply fast growing sustainable feedstocks for high value medical bioproducts and biofabrication (Fariz Pari et al., 2025; FAO, 2024). Scaled across Southeast Asia the model could leverage abundant regional biomass led by Indonesia and the Philippines build inclusive coastal value chains and new markets accelerate commercialisation through shared processing standards clinical testing and regulatory pathways and align with blue economy and climate goals even as blue carbon crediting and monitoring frameworks mature (FAO, 2024; Ludher & Woo, 2024; World Bank, 2023; UNCTAD, 2024; UNIDO, 2025; UNU CRIS, 2021; UNEP, 2023; The Nature Conservancy, 2024).
Assessment of Capacity for Growth
Assessment of Capacity for Growth
UNCERTAIN OR SPECULATIVE
(low or no growth in production)
Marine biotechnology is a growing, knowledge‑intensive sector with applications across health, industry, and coastal livelihoods, but it remains constrained by limited R&D ecosystems, regulatory gaps, biosecurity concerns, and questions around equitable access and benefit‑sharing. Yet despite these constraints, marine biotechnology in ASEAN is emerging as a key component of the region’s shift toward a blue bioeconomy, where ocean‑based biological resources are used for health, food, industrial, and environmental solutions, supported by a rapidly advancing Asia–Pacific bio‑innovation landscape.
Marine biotechnology means using science and technology to turn ocean life and their parts and products into useful knowledge, goods, and services. The tools and methods are many and will keep changing as the field grows. It is not a standalone field. It contributes to broader bio based economy, from making fuels with marine biomass to creating higher value materials, foods, and medicines from the ocean (OECD, 2017).
ASEAN marine biotechnology is underpinned by substantial natural capital, particularly the region’s exceptional microbial diversity. This resource base is consolidated through the ASEAN Microbial Database (AmiBase), a regional research infrastructure jointly established by Thailand’s National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to aggregate microbial culture collections, genomic data, and peer-reviewed knowledge (BIOTEC & ACB, 2019). AmiBase currently integrates contributions from 23 culture collections across seven ASEAN Member States, signalling a coordinated scientific effort to mobilise microbial resources for research and innovation (ACMU, n.d.).
Despite this scientific foundation, production capacity remains constrained. Marine biotechnology activity in Southeast Asia is concentrated in public research institutes and multi-station facilities rather than in industrial-scale bioprocessing. A representative example is the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department’s Tigbauan Main Station in Iloilo, Philippines, a forty-hectare complex hosting laboratories, hatcheries, diagnostics, and training facilities that primarily support research, extension, and human capacity development rather than commercial manufacturing (SEAFDEC, 2018).
Financial capital has likewise focused on enabling conditions rather than direct biotechnology scale-up. Regional blue economy financing initiatives such as the Asian Development Bank’s Blue SEA Finance Hub prioritise ocean health, climate resilience, and project bankability, with biotechnology positioned as a longer-term innovation pathway rather than an immediate investment focus (ADB, 2021). This orientation is reflected in the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework, which identifies biotechnology as a strategic growth sector under its Blue Science, Technology and Innovation pillar, while remaining non-prescriptive on industrial deployment mechanisms (ASEAN, 2023).
Human and social capital are advancing through regional cooperation platforms, notably ASEAN and SEAFDEC mechanisms that emphasise joint research, capacity building, and policy coordination (ASEAN and SEAFDEC, 2007). However, recent scholarly assessments of Asia Pacific marine biotechnology highlight persistent gaps in regulatory science, industrial scale-up, and advanced biomanufacturing capabilities, which continue to slow translation from discovery to market (Packer et al., 2024).
In this context, near-term growth in ASEAN marine biotechnology is most likely to arise from high-value, knowledge-intensive outputs such as enzymes, bioactive compounds, and aquaculture health solutions rather than from expanded biomass extraction. Strengthening shared data platforms, culture collections, and regional coordination offers a pathway to compound existing natural capital while aligning innovation with ecosystem sustainability goals (BIOTEC & ACB, 2019; ASEAN, 2023).
