Bt30 million in grants offered to academics for collaboration

[rooster59]

Bt30 million in grants offered to academics for collaboration

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE SUNDAY NATION 

 

Last year awardee of Institutional Links research fund from Chulalongkorn University Tirayut Vilaivan presents the outcome of his research project at the press conference for this year grant last week.Nation / Pratch Rujivanarom

 

THAI ACADEMICS are being invited to apply for new research grants in order to collaborate with their British counterparts and spearhead social change with innovations and technologies.

 

THAI ACADEMICS are being invited to apply for new research grants in order to collaborate with their British counterparts and spearhead social change with innovations and technologies.

 

The British Council, together with the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) and the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), yesterday announced the call for “Institutional Links” 2018-19, to provide grants for research corresponding to the Thai government’s 10 targeted industries.

 

The grant fund of Bt30 million comes equally from the UK’s Newton Fund and its partners in Thailand, OHEC and TRF. 

 

Thai researchers have until June 8 to apply for grants from OHEC or TRF.

 

Those selected will be granted up to Bt7 million for their research and also get the opportunity to work with counterparts from leading academic institutions in the UK. The British Council is one of the delivery partners of the Newton Fund, which supports research collaboration between the UK and Thailand through the Institutional Links programme.

 

Grants for this year will be targeted at research related to Thailand’s 10 “S-Curve” industries.

 

These are: next-generation automotive, smart electronics, medical and wellness tourism, agriculture and biotechnology, food for the future, robotics, aviation and logistics, biofuels and biochemicals, digital, and medical hub.

 

The collaboration between UK and Thailand under the Newton Fund’s Institutional Links would enhance research and innovation development in both countries, said Pongsakorn Tantilipikorn, TRF International Research Network and International Affairs assistant director. “Institutional Links will connect Thai and UK researchers and lead to the exchange of knowledge, technology and innovation which will help internationalise our research work,” Pongsakorn said.

 

Punpermsak Aruni, OHEC Human Resources Development Policy director, added that Institutional Links also play important roles in building capacity of Thai professors and researchers, who will be helping to link research and innovation and the New S-Curve industries with ambitions for the transition to a digital economy, or “Thailand 4.0”.

 

Tirayut Vilaivan, a researcher from Chulalongkorn University who was awarded a grant last year, described how he also got the chance to work with researchers from University of Liverpool in developing a simple and cheap paper-based technique to test for chemical contamination in food.

 

“The project is resoundingly successful and there are already many business operators in the food industry interested in this innovation, so I would like to express my gratitude toward Newton Fund and its Thai partners for helping me with this academic achievement,” Tirayut said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345245

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-13

[Somtamnication]

Dictatorships, Collaboration, Academics. Reminds me of 70s Latin America. 

[mok199]

next years headline ''Probe launched into missapropriated grants, to accedemics funds''...

[Samui Bodoh]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Bt30 million in grants offered to academics for collaboration

I tend to read the news and write my posts early in the morning as I enjoy my first cup of coffee. This morning as I read this headline, my brain translated this as;

 

"...Bt30 million in grants offered to academics for collaboration...with NCPO" (Italics and additions mine)

 

It speaks volumes that this was an automatic assumption...

 

[Misterwhisper]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thai researchers have until June 8 to apply for grants from OHEC or TRF.

That's a very tight time window. Usually they need months over months and committee after committee to draft even the simplest proposals. But then again, I guess when there's free money to grab, Thais can be surprisingly quick all of a sudden.

[happy chappie]

Why is it every time I read the word million I automatically think of corruption.as for this thailand 4.0 thingy bob...more chance of sending a somchai to the moon.

[zydeco]

And will the grant application be in English or Thai. If Thai, then likely nobody on the UK end will be reviewing anything or deciding on the award. It will all come from Thai officialdom. 

[Cadbury]

The selection panel for the grants need to be careful to make sure the successful applicants are not those same academics who contribute to the continual downgrading of Thai universities. 

Even If the grants disappear into a dark and unaudited hole I still fear it will be money spent without outcomes. Like just about everything thing else in Thailand. For example would anyone care to nominate a single successful outcome of all those promises made by PM Prayut over the last four years. Starting with eliminating corruption right through to fixing Bangkok drainage problems.

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/20292/most-thai-varsities-downgraded-in-new-educational-listings

[Chris Lawrence]

Nothing for Social Welfare. Many of the Tourist students come to Australia?

 

But 30 million Baht is not a lot for research. 

[mikebell]

How much will be appropriated by corrupt officials: if they can't keep their hands off money for the poor what chance have Universities got?

[Wilsonandson]

A worthy contender for the 30 million baht grant. I give you..
Dinsow 3 by CT Asia Robotics Co.,Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand

Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Sonhia]

Sharing knowledge for the improvement of humanity, nature plus environment is a good thing, but for some reason, I have doubts about this venture.

 

Time will tell. I hope my doubt is simply over thinking on my part.

[Eligius]

The British authorities are either extremely naive or something worse if they really think that pumping money into making (in the tired old phrase which is actually used of this project) Thailand into a 'medical and digital HUB' has any real chance of succeeding. 

 

'Collaborating' (the perfect word, given the political context) with Thai institutions such as Chula, which are part of the oppressive power structures of Thailand and which lick the boots of Prayut and his gang, is really quite disgraceful.

 

Western governments should be giving Thailand the cold shoulder - until Thailand boots out the autocracy and restores human rights and democracy to the Thai people. Britain (or any other Western nation) should be ashamed of itself for playing along with this foolhardy Thai 'hub of everything' nonsense - and pumping money into it! 

 

My God: talk about misdirected funds!

 

 

 

[Happyman58]

A chosen few who can see a quick buck to be made. Of course, while all this fantastic research will be going on these so-called people in the picture will be living in England all expenses paid. Its called " get out of jail card " from Thailand and enjoy England  for free

[happy chappie]

22 hours ago, Wilsonandson said:

 

 

A worthy contender for the 30 million baht grant. I give you..
Dinsow 3 by CT Asia Robotics Co.,Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand

Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

I've seen better Lego kits than that.

[happy chappie]

On 13/05/2018 at 6:07 AM, mok199 said:

next years headline ''Probe launched into missapropriated grants, to accedemics funds''...

Funds? What funds,sorry but there's mistakes been made and the janitor has been moved to an inactive post.we've set up a committee to make sure it don't happen again.