Thailand 4.

0: Plans & Challenges for

Harnessing Human Capital
Strategic Direction of Science, Technology
and Innovation (STI) for Competitiveness
and Human Resources Development

Kitipong Promwong, PhD

Secretary General
National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy
Office
 Thailand 4.0 towards Innovative/Value based Industry :
National Agenda (Prime Minister Agenda)

21st century human Innovation driven Enhance targeted Strengthen 6

Connect Thailand to
resources enterprise Agricultural, regions 18 the world
Industrial and provincial clusters
Service Sectors and 76 provinces

Water Environment
Administrative Physical Infrastructure
Forest
Mechanism
Connectivity Infrastructure Digital Transportation and
network logistic
Public admin
State of the people Education and learning network Science and
(Pracharat) Intellectual Infrastructure Research & Development Technology
International
Agreement
Social Infrastructure Welfare Health
Law & Regulation
Social immunization 3
R&I priority agenda

Aging Society
Food Agriculture Biotechnology, Biomed

New Society in the 21st Century

Digital Economy and Data

Logistics Thai Citizen in the 21st Century

Health and Quality of Life

High Value-Added Services

Energy Urbanisation and Smart City

Water Management

Climate Change and Environment

Source : R&I strategy brainstorming workshop on 6 May 2017 4

 R&I Development Framework for Value Creation and Value Capture

Research and Innovation (R&I) Agenda Value Creation/Value Capture

12 R&I Priority Agenda

R&I Basic
Platform Technologies Competitive World Leader
Management requirement edge
system
e.g. water e.g. healthy e.g. natural
management, food, medical functional
Fundamental Social & public health, services ingredient
Humanity Sciences etc.

Effective Management - Outcome Delivery Units (ODU)

Co-Creation : Industrial Consortia firms, R&I institutes, gov. supporting agencies, global
partners 5
 R&I Strategic Plan to support value capture and competitiveness

Bio and Agro Economy Functional Ingredient Modernised Agriculture Biopharmaceuticals

Robotics / Next-generation
Digital and Data Smart Electronics Internet of Things
Automation Automotive
Economy

Logistics Smart Logistics Aviation

Medical Hub Creative Local Products Animation/Digital content

Service and
Creative Economy Wellness Tourism Cultural Tourism

Energy Biofuel Biomass Energy efficiency

6
 Technology and Innovation Capabilities Development Direction for enhancing
competitiveness of the Targeted Industries

Goal Building local capacity New Industry, New Job Advanced Industry/ Resilient
Opportunity and Collective System
esp. engineers

Industrial Diversification Industry/ Technological

Direction Technology Localization Deepening

International Industrial Joint Venture, Start-Up Joint Venture, ME, Move Start-Up
Mechanisms Consortia

Integrat Industrial Government

ed R&D R&D and Technology
Researc Consortiu Innovation Procurement Competitiveness Tech and Inno
Instrument h& m Fund Fund (CF) Enterprise Fund .
Innovati
(TED Fund)
on
Enablers Private Sector Investment Thai Universities, Education and Research System

STI Human resources

Foundation
Innovative Institutional Setting
7
 Example : Modernised Agriculture plan (5-year)
Sustainable High value
Resource use High Cost Reduce Climate
Application productivity Agriculture and products
Bioeconomy
efficiency Saving GHG emissions Adaptation
Consumption
Seed/ Safety
Smart farm Post harvest
Breeds & standard
Product Seed/ Precision Precision Precision Green Mechanization/
Forecasting and
Diagnostics/
Early warning Biocontrol packaging
Groups variety Fertigation Irrigation Pest Mgt. house Automatic system system
Sensors

Breeding Feed/Dietary Livestock production Pre/probiotic

Biosecure Aquaculture system Traceability system
stock Supplement system Animal vaccine
Agri tech are widely used by farmers, which help increase productivity, efficient use of resources, optimize input resources, reduce production
Target to be cost, increase revenue
Quality and safety yield, high value added products, become safety and sustainability production hub, traceability and standardized
achieved Creation of chain industry such as agricultural technology service business, Biotechnology Business such as biochemical, animal vaccine, animal
nutrition

Molecular Genome& System Image

IoT VRT
Encapsulati
Tech/Platform Sensor Remote sensing GeoMapping processing
Breeding Bioinformatics biology on
Tech. to be
developed locally Gene Enzyme HTP Cloud/ Decision Support Mechanization Smart
editing Fermentation Modeling
tech screening Big data System (Auto. System) material
R&D Collaboration
with Industrial collaboration with university, gov. agency, research institution, private sector, both domestically and internationally
partner

Managing Body Funding support Supporting measures

Chair x,xxx MB Create and develop human capital in a shortage fields ex. Breeder, physiologist,
ODU plant pathologist, geoclimate modeling
Industry Gov 50%: Private Infrastructure ex. High throughput genotyping/phenotyping screening/ Pilot
Executions
Consortium 50% Plant/Germplasm Bank /Cloud
Efficient Registration process of bio products
Incentives for applying modern technology and such as tax incentive for green and
safety product
8
 EZI: Economic Zones of Innovation
Major
Industrial
Clusters
Electronics Regional Science Parks

Food
Automotive
Petrochemicals
Rubber/Palm/S EECi:
ea Food Eastern
Economi
c
Corridor
of
Innovatio
n
9
 At Thailand Science Park

Modular Design
Laboratory

Ready-to-move-in 10
 Food Innovation Hub
Present Future
Target Group

100 Tenants:
Research
Contract
Organisations
MNCs
LEs
SMEs
Startups
11
 North Bangkok Innovation
Triangle
Thai Market Technopolis
AIT 20 km
MTECBIOTEC
NSTDA Light Rail
NECTEC
NANOTEC TU TISTR NIMT TINT

Thailand Science NSM

RMUTT

Park BU Future Park Rangsit

finished in 2018
Expected to be

RMUTT-Kaset
Rangsit Station
Kukot Station
RSU

Simummuang
Market

Kasetsart University Don Muang International Airport

Food Research Cluster
TISTR

FDA
Dept. of Medical KU
Sci.
ARDA

12
 National Startup Promotion
Program

LAW
IMPROVEMENT
Reregulation and
Deregulation:
Earning Stock
Option, Vesting,
Convertible Debt,
Preference Share
Source: 13
STI
Innovation District
Current Policy and Government Support for
Development of Startups

15
Incentive : Competitiveness Enhancement Act (BOI++)

Competitiveness fund Tax Incentive

Matching grant for investment projects Corporate income tax exemption
engaged in: max. 15 years for 10 targeted industries

Human Resources/HRD Strengthening Seeding

Existing S-Curve New S-Curve
Next-Generation Digital
Automotive
Research Development & Innovation
Smart Electronics Robotics

Technology Transfer & acquisition Affluent and Medical Hub

Wellness Tourism
Food Processing Aviation and
Collaboration with foreign & local Industry Logistics
academic institution Agriculture and Biofuels and
Biotechnology Bio-chemicals

18
Growth in private R&D investment supported by incentives and measures

Million
Baht
Per GDP
in 2021

Per GDP
in 2018

0.62% Per GDP (84,671

0.62% GDP
Million (84,671
Baht) )
in 2015
59,442 Million
Baht (private R&D)

Government agencies,
State enterprises,
Universities and NGOs
Private sector
17
 Rapid Increase in Demand of R&D Personnel
in Business Sector

Source: Industrial R&D and Innovation Survey (STI, 2016) 18

STI Manpower

Innovation Managers

Innovator/Researcher/Engineer/Scientist

Technician Vocational

Skilled worker (high-tech industry)

19
 Development of STEM Workforce

Source: 1) Commission on Higher

Education, 2) Office of the Education
Council, 3) Vocational Education
Commission 4) The Office of the Basic
Education Commission

Shortfall in supply of high-level researchers in the near future

A need for proactive policy to address the rapid demand of industry
20
Food Innopolis Researcher Data Bank

*Total number of researcher in FI Databank is 2,775 as of May 2017

21
FI
Databank
Researcher Database
Research Questions
Access to RDI Infrastructures
Matching
www.foodinnopolis.or.th/fidatabank

11
 Talent Mobility
Talent mobility between public and private sectors and
cross-border mobility
Restructure of government student scholarship programs
Industrial practice school
Cross-Border Talent Mobility

Current Status of R&D personnel in Thailand

Total Ph.D. Master Bachelor
Public Sector 36,749 (72%) 9,967 23,449 3,333
Private Sector 14,256 (28%) 734 3,758 9,764
24
 Stock and Flow of Talents
Talent Mobility Company
The Cabinet approved this program on 18 January 2015
R&D Center
(CRDC)
University/ Facilitation
Companies Research
Institutions
Researchers Center
(KMUTNB)
CLEARING HOUSES
Demand-Supply database keeping Setting Up
R&D
Pre-R&D Lab R&D Center in
Matching activities Connection
Company

Access to lab space and engineering

Work-integrated Learning
School in the Factory
Apprenticeship
Cooperative Education
equipment
One stop solution for a company setting up
R&D Unit in Thailand
Linkages to government incentives, i.e., BOI,
Tax 300%, research funding, testing facilities
25
 TM Network (21 Universities and 7 Organizations)

Chiangmai University

Konkan University

KMUTT

PSU
Organizations
 21 Universities 246 projects 175 SMEs
7 organizations 403 researchers 29 LEs
280 students

Technology and Innovation management

Others,19% 17%
Sci, Eng,
Machine and Test analysis and
45.56 54.44
Automation standard system
Agriculture/Food
7% 4%
36%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Research and
pharmaceutical development
7% 64%
Technical and engineering Product, Process,
problem-solving 14%
Software 56 44
10%
Electronical equipment
14%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Materials 8%

Types of Industries Types of Projects Characteristics of Projects

30/04/2017
Work-Integrated Learning
In 2017, there are requests from 3 industry
for 390 WiL positions

Electronics
Automotive Parts
Petrochemical

At present, STI helps supply WiL

students/workforce to industry over 500
positions

Average Investment Ratio

Government 10 : Private 90

28
 WIL philosophy : to solve the mismatch

Work-integrated Productivity +
Learning; WiL Knowledge
Increase
employability rate
Reduce skills
mismatch
PPPP model on
Human Resource
Development
(Condition
promoted by BOI
scheme)

From: John Aaron, Alice Rowland, Christina Rude, James Wessel, Apprenticeship and Economic Advantage: A Blueprint for American Industry and Public Policy
in the 21st Century, White Papers, Milestone Planning and Research, Inc., http://milestoneplanning.net/whitepapers/Apprenticeship Article Final.pdf

Via STI, KMUTNB, RMUTL, Work Integrated Learning in Thailand

29
Alliance of Innovation Managers (AIMs Thailand)

Strengthening innovation manager professionals working

in research institutions, universities, firms and governments

- Trainings program
A
Supporting the
- Annual Conference
- IP fair / Marketplace
Advancement
of Innovation
B - Website , social media
Management Enhancing the - Educational Library
Sharing of - Patent Database
Knowledge & - Licensing manual
Information
- Accredit Innovation Manager - Journal
- Career centre (seeker/employer) C - IP Consultant Short List
- Career opportunity (internship Developing the
/scholarship) Innovation
- AIMs Thailand Award Manager
Professionals

AIMs Thailand 30