However, many key ingredients will have to work together correctly for a successful, sustainable, and satisfactory outcome. The government must be keenly aware that these are, after all, "science" parks, and as such they must make certain that science does not get left by the wayside when the park is built and becomes operational.

The Stanford Industrial Park is an oft-cited example of a successful and highly profitable partnership between academia and industry. The creation of the park was undoubtedly one of the major milestones in the genesis of Silicon Valley and it heralded many subsequent technology booms including semiconductors, biotechnology, information technology and the current accelerating interest in alternative energy. Thus, it is quite instructive to briefly consider the historical context that led to its founding, and the lessons that Thailand can learn from it.

The park was created and started to take off in the 1950s. An enormous amount of funding had been channelled into scientific research in the Unites States for years, mainly for the war effort - starting with World War II and continuing with the nuclear arms race during the Cold War years. At the same time, American academia had been jumpstarted with the influx of top-notch minds - both home-grown and those fleeing war-torn Europe, many of whom had cut their teeth on applying the latest scientific knowledge to real world problems doing wartime research.

Meanwhile, the GI Bill granted a free college education to hundreds of thousands of veterans of the wars, resulting in a surging number of highly educated people in the workforce. Many of the inventions from the Manhattan Project, most notably the computer, started to pay dividends right around this time. Military electronic equipment and manufacturing capacity from the wars also meant that research equipment was readily available. This historical context is crucial for understanding the rise of Silicon Valley but may not be obvious to people of the post-Cold War era or those unfamiliar with the history of modern science.

The Stanford Industrial Park was instrumental in the emergence of Silicon Valley, however, this was due to the fact that there were already many innovative ideas fermenting in academia and industry, and hence, ready demands for space.

Thus, the park should be seen more as a catalyst that facilitated and enabled innovation to progress from the idea phase to the real world, rather than as the almost-mythical wellspring from which all subsequent innovation and prosperity emerged, as it is commonly portrayed in some overly dramatic accounts. In other words, the park should be regarded as a bridge connecting point A to point B. While it makes it easier to go from one point to the other, one must not forget that for the bridge to be a success point A and point B must be worth getting to in the first place.

If the history of Silicon Valley is to serve as an example to emulate in Thailand, then efforts must be focused on the ultimate cause rather than a proximal one - redoubling efforts to foster academic excellence in the traditional sense. Once that gets going in Thailand, it is certain that there will be plenty of incentives for Thai universities or real-estate developers to set up their own science parks to house technology spin-offs. That is, Thailand would be better served if relevant agencies went back to the basics and built a strong foundation, which is the prerequisite for any knowledge-based economy, as its first order of business.

Concerning the direction of Thai science in general - which Dr Thawatchai Wirattipong discussed in a controversial article in Matichon - while applied research with the promise of short-term financial gain is currently in vogue, we would be ill-served if that were to come at the expense of fundamental research.

Furthermore, while there are specific cases of successful application-oriented research, such as reducing the country's reliance on certain imports, it is doubtful whether this strategy can really be scaled up and generalised. After all, there simply is no such thing as a low-risk, quick-return, high-reward investment that scales arbitrarily.

At the national level, if the country really wants to generate income worthy of its investment in science and technology, it can do so by creating added value in multiples of cost. This comes with owning unique products that satisfy unmet needs, which is the result of groundbreaking basic research, and will not happen through finding cheaper ways to produce more commodities.

That said, if Thailand is really determined to succeed as a player in the science and technology arena, we must be prepared to accept the reality that this effort will involve a major amount of money for a long time to come. We can be quite sure that the effort will not pay any appreciable dividend probably for two generations or more.

Furthermore, if funding levels drop in the interim, all of the investment put in so far will likely be lost. This is because we will be starting late in a crowded race with many other nations competing to reach the same destination. Ultimately, the choice of whether to embark on this path should be for the public to decide.

In essence, funding for science and technology is an investment for the long-term and greater good of the public. As it happens, the benefits will not be enjoyed by the generation paying for it, but by subsequent generations, and as such this investment doesn't rank high in the priorities of electoral politics. It is always a hard sell to promote science and technology, not just in Thailand but in most other countries as well, because of this.

The promotional efforts undertaken over the past few years by the government is a good sign that the importance of the public's support is still recognised.

However, it must be made clear that it is unhelpful, unrealistic, and ultimately self-defeating to promise too much, as public disillusionment and the resulting backlash would be quick and inevitable. For genuine and sustained public support, it is best to ensure that the public has a realistic grasp of our difficult situation and fully appreciates what we are getting into, and understands the hard work that we all need to do to get to where we want to be.

Pakorn Kanchanawong is a US-based Thai scientist.

Pakorn Kanchanawong

Special to The Nation