Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Microsoft team up to support SMEs in the IT sector with the launch of 'WebsiteSpark'

The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), under the Ministry of Science and Technology is stepping up efforts to support local SMEs and web professionals within the Thai IT industry with the launch of a new collaboration with the country's most notable IT and business organizations. Known as 'WebsiteSpark', the program is a collaboration with Software Park, Department of Industrial Promotion - Ministry of Industry and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) and Microsoft. The program aims to boost business development for professional web developers and designers by providing them with relevant tools and helping their work gain greater recognition in order to encourage new business opportunities with an initial target of reaching 600 independent Thai web companies.  

"We have taken both a breadth and depth approach to encouraging more SMEs to make greater use of IT," said Dr. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich, Minister of Science and Technology. "For example, Software Park - under NSTDA - has initiated programs to support all SMEs in order to help them use IT as a means of strengthening their competence, while at the same time we have been going deep into each industry to find programs that are most suitable for specific industry needs." 

"In the short-term, we are encouraging technology providers on a local, regional and global level to develop tools and solutions that are suitable and affordable for use by SMEs. However, in the long-term we are encouraging these companies to help Thai IT professionals produce software that meets international standards and that can be sold to a worldwide market," continued Dr. Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich.

The WebsiteSpark program, which is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Software Park of Industrial Promotion - Ministry of Industry, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) and Microsoft, has been designed to support the country's long-term development in line with the government's Creative Economy initiative and create more than 600 jobs in the country. It is also expected to bring about positive long-term results within the SME sector, by reinforcing the IT ecosystem and helping to create more skilled jobs and business opportunities."

Dr. Suphat Phupaka, Deputy Director of NSTDA said, "NSTDA is responsible for encouraging companies to use IT as the foundation of their business and innovation development. As such, the WebsiteSpark program is a concrete project that fits very well with NSTDA's policies. Web professionals who take part will not only get the chance to use tools and technology from a global company like Microsoft, but also gain a unique opportunity to enter worldwide markets and take their businesses to the next level. This is thanks to collaboration between Thailand's IT organizations to help match web professionals with businesses that are looking to expand their online business." 

Software Park's support under NSTDA for the WebsiteSpark program includes: training for web professionals, creating jobs and strengthening competence for SME web pros by collaborating with Department of Industrial Promotion and OSMEP and providing worldwide business opportunities by collaborating with Microsoft.

Arthit Wuthikaro, Director-General of Department of Industrial Promotion added, "The Department of Industrial Promotion is promoting the use of IT to boost the industrial sector and this will in turn bring about more business opportunities for IT professionals. Every company wants to have their own website now, but they often lack the knowledge or skills required to create one themselves. As such, there is a big demand for web experts within the industrial sector and we believe that Thai web developers are more than capable of meeting this demand. We want to help match local web professionals with prospective customers in Thailand and WebsiteSpark is a great way to achieve this."

Dr. Yutthasak Supasorn, Director-General of Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) said, "During times of economic recession, SMEs are often the first business group to be affected by the downturn in terms of dropping sales and profit loss. As an agency that is responsible for supporting SMEs, OSMEP has performed various measures to help protect SMEs during this challenging time and use IT as means of boosting their business by creating a quality website or performing e-commerce transactions. Moreover, these steps only require a minimal investment when compared with the huge benefits that come with opening up your business to new and borderless markets online."

 "After 18 years of doing business Thailand, Microsoft remains committed to fostering growth within the local IT industry with sustainable development for all IT practitioners," said Patama Chantaruck, Managing Director, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited. "Indeed we have been nurturing Thai software developers under our Local Software Economy initiative through a diverse range of projects to suit every type and level of developer. For example, we launched BizSpark for start-up software developers, DreamSpark for students in Microsoft-collaborated educational institutes and the Microsoft Innovation Center software proof of concept development. The launch of WebsiteSpark marks the next step in this commitment and will offer Thai web professionals a valuable platform upon which to build their skills and expand their business."

"Ultimately this collaboration between Microsoft and government agencies is encouraging local web professionals to expand their horizons. WebsiteSpark is giving them a golden opportunity to create rich applications for website development that can potentially be picked up for use and sale in Thailand and around the world. Web developers and designers play a vital role in the online industry and as new technology such as Cloud Computing takes a hold they will be crucial to its long-term and sustainable development. It is a privilege for us to be involved in nurturing their success and we hope that the program will pave the way for more highly-skilled and better-paid jobs for Thai web workers"

The three year WebsiteSpark program is open to any professional web company that comprises of no more than 10 staff and whose primary business is providing web development and design services. There are no upfront costs for companies to take part and after joining they will be able to download Microsoft software solutions free of charge. Moreover, participants will receive training from Software Park on how best to take their business to the next level and drive the local IT industry forward. Training seminars for ISVs and practitioners will be held at Software Park's Incubation Center, while the Department of Industrial Promotion and OSMEP will provide ongoing support by connecting SME web pros with SME customers in other industries.