Ministry taps thais abroad to give local research a lift

The ministry has tied up with Thai professional associations - in the US, Canada, Japan, Europe and Australia - that will help pool in science-and-technology resources from Thai experts living abroad and enable knowledge transfer on development projects. The ministry's National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the Thai Research Fund (TRF) and the Higher Education Commission are working on building a platform with the Thai professional associations, in order to enable such technology transfer.

Science Minister Wutthipong Chaisang said the collaboration would offer local researchers working in the field of science and technology a chance to share developments and swap expertise with Thais working in the same field abroad.

Instead of focusing on bringing about a reverse brain drain by encouraging Thais based abroad to return home, the change in the ministry's tack will enable them to contribute to the country's development while remaining where they were, Wutthipong said.

At present, there are 1,000-2,000 Thais with a background in science and technology who are willing to share their expertise with researchers back home.

Earlier this week, the NSTDA, the TRF and the Higher Education Commission organised a meeting where local researchers and Thai professionals from abroad discussed the project. The upshot was the identification of areas for collaborative research and development - food, medicine, biotechnology, energy and the environment, said NTSDA assistant president Sirirurg Songsivilai.

Food being an important export industry, collaboration could involve developing food-safety measures, he said. Energy is also a prime area of focus, because the government is considering tapping into alternative sources of energy, and studies on wind power and biofuels are already under way, he said.

Sirirurg expressed the hope that at least four or five collaborative projects will emerge out of the meeting this year.

The collaboration will help Thailand not only maintain a link with technological developments in other countries, but also make advances in the field, he said.

Along with research, the collaboration will also involve designing of short training courses for Thais. The Higher Education Commission has set aside Bt9 million for the courses, for which Thai professionals will be invited to train university students.

The ministry's move will benefit local science-and-technology circles, said Association of Thai Professionals (America and Canada) president Chokchai Leangsuksan. Knowledge transfer in the field of high-performance computing and grid-computing technology is also in the works.

Since technology plays an important role in the academic and business sectors, it is necessary to help local researchers keep up with new trends, Chokchai said.