Technology agency hopes to boost R&D

The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) is aiming to boost the level of research and development work being undertaken in Thailand by expanding its Thailand Science Park.

It has set aside Bt2 billion and has begun construction on what it hopes will make the park the largest fully-integrated research and development hub in the country.

Construction began last year on the new Thailand Science Park phase two, which is being called "Innovation Cluster 2", or INC 2. It's expected to be fully operational next year.

INC 2 will be an expansion of Thailand Science Park phase one, which was developed to promote innovation development and research and development activities in the private sector. It will be managed by the Technology Management Centre (TMC), a unit of the NSTDA.

The agency's vice president, Chachanat Thebtaranonth, who is also director of TMC, said the new phase would occupy 127,000 square metres of land at Thailand Science Park in Pathum Thani province's Klong Luang district. It will offer about 72,000 square metres of floor space.

INC 2 will comprise four inter-connected towers built under a design concept of "work-life integration",  in the hope that it will create an environment in which technology workers will be happy to live and work and adapt to constantly changing demands.

Chachanat said it was hoped that the project would create a new research and development atmosphere to stimulate the private sector into developing technology-intensive businesses and push Thailand to become a new centre for science and technology.

The NSTDA believes the expansion of Thailand Science Park will accelerate innovation while strengthening collaboration between the government and private sectors and research institutions, moving Thailand towards a new knowledge-based economy.

"Cheap labor is no longer an advantage for this country. So, it must develop its own technologies and innovations to add more value to its products and services in order to compete on the world stage," Chachanat said.

Innovation will help Thailand's goods and services to be different from the rest, while drawing more income to the country. Once the country is able to generate more revenue, its economic status as a whole will improve, she said.

The NSTDA completed phase one of Thailand Science Park - the country's first science and technology park - in 2002. Located on more than 140,000 square metres of land, phase one is fully occupied by more than 50 corporate tenants and the NSTDA's four national research centres.

It has so far created about 500 job opportunities, of which around 60 per cent were for researchers and engineers. It's also estimated that the park's activities and businesses have generated about Bt3 billion.

The development of phase two is part of the NSTDA's "fast forward" vision to accelerate the pace of innovation in Thailand.

Chachanat said the building of phase two would be a key mechanism to stimulate Thailand's private sector to conduct much more research and development work and to lift the country's technology development status.

"At present, the ratio of R&D expenditure between the Thai private sector and government sector is only 1:3, while in developed countries the ratio is at 2:3. We hope that with Thailand Science Park's mechanism, we will push private-sector R&D investment to grow," she said.

Thailand Science Park was developed as vital infrastructure to support technology-intensive businesses. Located close to the Asian Institute of Technology, Thammasat University and Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, as well as the NSTDA's four national research centres, the park offers opportunities for corporate tenants to access the services of more than 3,700 highly skilled personnel, including more than 600 full-time scientists and researchers at the NSTDA's research centres.

With a fully equipped technology infrastructure, corporate tenants also have the opportunity to share and use advanced laboratories and equipment to conduct their research and development projects.