Dr Piyawat Boonlong, the director of the state-endowed Thailand Research Fund (TRF), has spent the past 14 years facilitating the efforts of thousands of Thai researchers to help find probable solutions to the challenges that the country will likely face in the near future.

Piyawat, 56, a nuclear engineer by training, is currently in charge of an annual budget of Bt1.2 billion for funding a diverse range of projects.

"We sponsor around 1,200 research projects annually, most of which are sets of related research work. Each of the grants is worth from a few hundred thousand baht to Bt6 million to Bt7 million.

"Thematically, we focus on six major national issues and on finding out evidence-based solutions to these challenges.

"These include the transformation of our agricultural sector amid globalisation, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) against our exports, water-resource management, energy and climate change issues, culture management and security management.

"For instance, increased global competition in the farm trade means you're either very large and highly competitive agri-businesses or you're just small alternative farmers who are self-sufficient - if you're going to survive.

"As a result of this trend, our farm population is falling rapidly and the farm sector now accounts for just 8-9 per cent of GDP.

"At present, we sponsor work on selected fruit and seafood where there is still little knowledge as to how we could improve product quality or prolong the products' life or improve their marketing. Pomelos and shellfish are included.

"Still in agriculture, over 30 sets of related research work are under way to help small independent farmers. Usually, it takes two-to-three years to complete the overall research projects.

"On NTBs, we focus on negative consequences of free-trade agreements and the European Union's new rules on chemical usage in food products, which could hurt Thai exports.

"We've found that the FTA with China for instance is putting Thailand at a disadvantage because there remain internal barriers to Thai exports in China's domestic market whereas Chinese exports face no such barriers in our domestic market.

"On water resources, the trend is an increased shortage of water supply due to environmental degradation caused by global warming, with longer dry spells, even as demand continues to grow relentlessly.

"Probable solutions lie in better data, especially on the supply side, as well as demand management.

"On the related issue of energy and climate change, we could expect some solutions if we had better data to facilitate adapta tion domestically, as monsoons, dry spells and rainfalls will likely change, affecting our cropping pattern.

"Our electricity-load pattern may also change due to greater use of air-conditioning systems.

"Meantime, a global system to trade CO2 credits under the Kyoto protocol is starting, so there will be implications on building new power plants and on new automobiles.

"For instance, a coal-fired plant is among the cheapest sources of energy but it's also the most polluting in terms of CO2 emissions. Or we may consider building a nuclear power plant, which is positive for the climate but may cause other problems," said Piyawat, who earned a PhD in nuclear engineering from Kansas State University in 1978.

The TRF chief also noted that basic research in bio-sciences is another key area supported by the agency, which also provides funding for research aimed at boosting industrial competitiveness, strengthening communities and improving welfare for children and workers. To strengthen the linkage between college students and the industrial sector, the TRF has also launched a Bt200-million scheme offering 240 research grants worth Bt300,000 each to master's degree students and another 1,000 grants worth Bt100,000 each to bachelor's-degree students around the country. The objective is to encourage qualified students to work more productively with industry, such as industrial parts makers or food processors, during their last year of study.

The TRF is also supporting area-specific research projects in 25 provinces with a focus on getting the basic facts right so that the government can resolve poverty more effectively.

"Overall, the TRF's mission is to provide society with more knowledge so that public decisions are made based on facts and evidence. This will help us better address the national challenges.

"We hope our society is not driven by rumours and hearsay," he said.

Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

nop1122@yahoo.com