New university will add another chip to Thailand's emerging 'Silicon Valley'

[webfact]

INNOVATION
New university will add another chip to Thailand's emerging 'Silicon Valley'
Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation


The Rayong Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

BANGKOK: -- PTT is considering to organise a Bt10 billion fund-raising for establishing an endowment fund to support long-term operations of the Rayong Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Thailand's first S&T research-intensive university designed to leapfrog the Kingdom into a new technological frontier.

Modelled on the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Dr. Pailin Chuchottaworn, president and chief executive of the energy conglomerate, said RAIST, scheduled to be formally inaugurated by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn next July, would also fulfil a vision to turn Thailand's Eastern Seaboard area to become a "Silicon Valley" of the Kingdom.

"Since the school will sit along an 'industrial belt' of the eastern region, the final part of a Silicon Valley is in a making," said the PTT chief in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

RAIST situates on a 900 rai land plot that is part of a 3,700 rai land plot that PTT bought from its subsidiary IRPC at Wang Chan, Rayong, that is in the middle between the east coast where most of the country's petrochemical plants and oil refineries as well as automotive and various other export and domestic factories locate, and the upper eastern region where there are many industrial estates and some automobile and electronics factories.

"We must create an excellence research university that is capable to produce top entrepreneurs and industrialists for the country," he said.

PTT Group has already earmarked Bt5.2 billion budget to finance the next 5-years operations of RAIST and the Kamnoetwit Science Academy, a science high-school, both scheduled to be opened next year, that will charge no tuition fee for the first five years. The planned endowment fund, that many other top universities in the world also have, will help RAIST to stand on its own fleet and maintain its research-focused objective over a longer run.

"We have a 20-years aspiration: To make it the best Thailand university in five year, the top five in Asean in five years, and the top 50 universities of the world in 20 years," he said.

The goal is considered highly ambitious since currently only one Thai university-the King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi-is included in the world's top 300 universities ranking.

Palin said he would like RAIST to become a "change agent" to trigger changes at other local universities, all of them are currently considered a "teaching university", to join its force in producing scientists and technologists that will help drive Thailand with S&T capabilities.

RAIST will begin with two Master Degrees offering-molecular science engineering and energy science engineering. It will build on a cooperation with Oxford University and the University of Tokyo.

To provide the best raw materials for the RAIST, PTT board suggested the company to set up also the science high school and that originated the Kamnoetwit Science Academy. Formerly named Rayong Science Academy, the secondary bi-lingual school was bestowed its current name by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Kamnoetwit last month finished its selection of 72 students out of 5,000 talented students applied to enrol into the school's first education year. PTT claimed Kamnoetwit now succeed the Mahidol Wittayanusorn School as the most favourite science school choice of Thai students.

Pailin said PTT Group would only provide funding for KAIST and Kamnoetwit and was obliged not to have any privileges on the school matters including on the recruiting of their students. They will be run under a foundation that comes under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

"About 15-16 years ago when PTT had revenues of some Bt100 billion to Bt200 billion and profits about Bt20 billion, we had made a big decision to spend Bt3.7 billion for a reforestation project. Today, if PTT Group will spend Bt5 billion to Bt6 billion for education, [it is not too much money]. While growing a forest is considered a sustainable [project], growing wisdoms is even more sustainable," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/New-university-will-add-another-chip-to-Thailands--30238395.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-14

[taony]

Good luck with that.

-*I typed this myself*-

[zaphod reborn]

If Thailand was serious about trying to develop its IT industry, it would start by improving its broadband capacity and speed, create an atmosphere of English language immersion and start properly protecting IP rights, particularly software and website copyrights.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[terryp]

oh no.... i can feel another hub coming along

[chainarong]

The only thing I see emerging is the return of Thailand back to the old day's of PTP, I smell a degree of sameness starting to return, as for Silicon Valley, give me a break, most of Thailand wouldn't even know where it was, unless it cropped up in a soap or in a computer game.

[Pib]

If Thailand was serious about trying to develop its IT industry, it would start by improving its broadband capacity and speed, create an atmosphere of English language immersion and start properly protecting IP rights, particularly software and website copyrights.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

That's already part of their long term plan (i.e., when they are forced to...got no choice).

[Payboy]

I've seen a few silicone valleys in Thailand.

[klauskunkel]

"We must create an excellence research university that is capable to produce top entrepreneurs and industrialists for the country," he said.

No, no, no, first you must create English Language Fundamentals within the Thai population at least as good as in the Philippines.

[kannot]

The only thing I see emerging is the return of Thailand back to the old day's of PTP, I smell a degree of sameness starting to return, as for Silicon Valley, give me a break, most of Thailand wouldn't even know where it was, unless it cropped up in a soap or in a computer game.

Silicon Valley is readily visible in Walking St Pattaya.................so they say??

About as close as Thailand will get to it Im afraid

[antsrule]

Until Thai students are motivated to think skeptically (question authority) there will never be true science here, only the competition for higher marks which is meaningless in the quest for innovation. Education will be improved when independent thinking is nurtured. Unfortunately, education reform is going in the direction of "good" citizenship.

By the way, critical thinking is when someone examines their own reactions to information and events. Skeptical thinking is when someone disbelieves someone else THEN either proves ir disproves it using the process of analytical thinking. It is then that one developes the necessary fearlessness to become an innovating entrepreneur. You have a long way to go Thailand but paying attention to South Korea is an excellent start, so PAY ATTENTION!!

[doremifasol]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I've seen a few silicone valleys in Thailand.

[seajae]

they will probably develop a chip that is an automatic "crack" for all the pirated software the computer shops put onto computers/laptops. As it is extremely hard to buy any original software here and pirated stuff is all they seem to use a chip to simply enable it all would make a lot of sense and be well used in Thailand. Everything else that is computer related and made here seems to break/stop working very quickly.

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The only thing I see emerging is the return of Thailand back to the old day's of PTP, I smell a degree of sameness starting to return, as for Silicon Valley, give me a break, most of Thailand wouldn't even know where it was, unless it cropped up in a soap or in a computer game. width=32 alt=coffee1.gif>

Silicon Valley is readily visible in Walking St Pattaya.................so they say??

About as close as Thailand will get to it Im afraid

Yeah and some are mutton done up as Lamb.

[siampolee]

New university will add another chip to Thailand's emerging 'Silicon Valley'

New implant techniques will add another silicon valley to the more well endowed Thai girls or boys.

Doctor to young female Thai patient at her post silicon implant examination.

Doctor to patient, ''Now big breaths.

Thai patient. '' Yeth doctor and I'm only thixteen you know.''

[mrtoad]

Yawn.

Another hub statement.

[Time Traveller]

The SF Bay Area must be shaking in their boots about Thailand's new emergence as Silicon Valley. Apparently, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, are all planning to relocate their global development HQ to Thailand. While many Indian programmers are now giving up chances for Green Cards and $100k salaries in USA and opting instead for a 50k baht a month coding jobs in Bangkok with no job security.

Yes Thailand is truly leaping into the new technological frontier!

[siampolee]

Time Traveller post # 16

The SF Bay Area must be shaking in their boots about Thailand's new emergence as Silicon Valley. Apparently, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, are all planning to relocate their global development HQ to Thailand. While many Indian programmers are now giving up chances for Green Cards and $100k salaries in USA and opting instead for a 50k baht a month coding jobs in Bangkok with no job security.

Yes Thailand is truly leaping into the new technological frontier!

Priceless

+ 10

[ratcatcher]

I've seen a few silicone valleys in Thailand.

Exactly.

Silicon Valley is where the mountains divide.

[KhnomKhnom]

More schools are good news. But, because there are no Thai faculty to teach at the real advanced levels, they will have to import some. Westerners will not come to Thailand to teach.... unless it is to retire and teach a bit and then they are capped off by forced retirement at 65, dumb too.

The salaries are way too low, it is too far away for long term living, there is no culture of academic excellence, and moving into this very different place is not easy... and not made easy.

Tell a good MIT Ph.D. professor at age 30-50 to move to Thailand to teach and research and then also tell him he has to retire at 65, has no national research money grants, and, top it off, he has to report every 90 days just to tell Thailand he is still where he says he is. That fellow would hurt himself laughing.

I tried that recruitment of USA profs at low point in usa economy. Two mediocre applicants came and left after a few months.

No high end faculty; no high end university.

[Thai at Heart]

All these hubs and developments involve building very fancy new buildings and giving new titles to chancellors and the such.

Its all great until they actually need to teach something. Based on Oxford and Tokyo university. I heard that Enid Blyton uses the same words as Tolstoy.

[Robby nz]

What a load of negative BS based on the usual 'all Thais are' crap, you lot have posted.

Try reading the OP again slowly and carefully and try to use your superior education to work out just what it is they are aiming for and how they are planning to achieve it.

There are plenty of exceptional kids out there who will be after places at this proposed university and the feed in schools which are already in operation.

This is a clear indication of a change of attitude from some quarters to the direction Thai education should take, there is funding being made available outside the regular education system to do this and those who are driving it have a clear vision of where they want to go and how to get there.

What it needs are those in said regular education system to sit up and take notice and bring proper reforms to the Govt funded education system.

If they cant or wont do that then move them on and get someone else who can and will.

[gemini81]

The hub of mass quantity, low-quality universities.

[Chris Lawrence]

I've seen a few silicone valleys in Thailand.

Great post

[Chris Lawrence]

Imagine it did happen, and they started to produce work that was then copied around the world with no royalty payment going back to Thailand?

Would be ironic justice for a country that prides itself on being the counterfeit capital of the world?

[a99az]

Bath sealant!

[Stan7444]

Until Thai students are motivated to think skeptically (question authority) there will never be true science here, only the competition for higher marks which is meaningless in the quest for innovation. Education will be improved when independent thinking is nurtured. Unfortunately, education reform is going in the direction of "good" citizenship.

By the way, critical thinking is when someone examines their own reactions to information and events. Skeptical thinking is when someone disbelieves someone else THEN either proves ir disproves it using the process of analytical thinking. It is then that one developes the necessary fearlessness to become an innovating entrepreneur. You have a long way to go Thailand but paying attention to South Korea is an excellent start, so PAY ATTENTION!!

Right on the mark! Having grown up in, what is now called Silicon Valley which as a kid used to just be a few towns between San Jose and San Francisco, I worked in this valley for some years and even remember when HP was only making calculators. What really created Silicon Valley were 3 things: 1) The regional universities (Stanford, Berkley in particular, 2) US gov't funding for advanced military and space R&D, and later the 3) development of VCs to fund new ventures. These VCs were created by those entrupeniers who has previously started other companies and made their fortunes.

However, without the students (as mentioned above) having been trained with innovative and creative thinking AND having very good English skills (S&T is defacto English) this venture will have limited results and is just a "show".

The one important item missing in Thailand from the above, which in effect created Silicon Valley, is substantial gov't funding for R&D since Thailand does no create military and space technology, preferring to buy it from other countries, and we are talking about Billions of USD put into ventures making Silicon Valley. There was a reason that David Packard (the "P" in HP) was Dep. Sec't of Defense under the Nixon administration, which was during the Vietnam War with military and space budgets pretty much unlimited to fund Silicon Valley. Also, there is probably a strong reason why David’s HP has also been in Silicon Valley right next to Stanford University.

[fluider]

The salaries are way too low, it is too far away for long term living, there is no culture of academic excellence, and moving into this very different place is not easy... and not made easy.

Hi, do you mean the salary in Raist is low? please tell me more.

I am interested in applying and salay is of course important.

[northernjohn]

Until Thai students are motivated to think skeptically (question authority) there will never be true science here, only the competition for higher marks which is meaningless in the quest for innovation. Education will be improved when independent thinking is nurtured. Unfortunately, education reform is going in the direction of "good" citizenship.

By the way, critical thinking is when someone examines their own reactions to information and events. Skeptical thinking is when someone disbelieves someone else THEN either proves ir disproves it using the process of analytical thinking. It is then that one developes the necessary fearlessness to become an innovating entrepreneur. You have a long way to go Thailand but paying attention to South Korea is an excellent start, so PAY ATTENTION!!

Modelled on the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Some how I think Korea had more going for them than how to copy every thing when they started their institute up.

[Transporter]

Bath sealant!

If you ask for Silicon you will be offered Acrylic! Maybe thats the way forward? Acrylic Valley!

[Sayonarax]

If Thailand was serious about trying to develop its IT industry, it would start by improving its broadband capacity and speed, create an atmosphere of English language immersion and start properly protecting IP rights, particularly software and website copyrights.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

lol.