In Japan, the Society of Powder Technology Japan (SPTJ) (formerly the Research Association of Powder Technology) was established as an academic society in 1957. Then the Association of Powder Process Industry and Engineering, Japan (formerly the Council of Powder Process Industry, Japan) was set up in 1971 as the industrial counterpart of SPTJ) to complement and synergize their activities.

In Thailand, the Thai Powder Technology Center (TPTC) was set up at Chulalongkorn University (CU) in 1992 with strong technical and financial support from APPIE and SPTJ. In 1997, the Thai Association for Particle Institute (TAPI) was set up to complement and synergize with TPTC. Subsequently, TPTC was merged with the Particle Technology and Materials Processing Laboratory (PTMP, established in 1996) in the Department of Chemical Engineering, CU, to become the Center of Excellence in Particle Technology (CEPT) in 2002.

Naturally, since TAPI’s establishment it has worked closely with TPTC and its successor CEPT to promote powder/particle technology, including nanoparticle technology by jointly organizing technical seminars, forums, and so on. When the unprecedented COVID-19 epidemic struck globally, including Thailand, in waves during 2020-2023, TAPI’s activities could not but cease. In fact, there was an internal debate about the future of TAPI. Fortunately, TAPI has managed to attract a number of new key regular and juristic members in 2023, and TAPI started revitalizing its activities in late 2023 and renewing its collaboration with Japanese supporters in both academic and industrial sectors. It was also decided that TAPI should set up an official website of its own.