EU-ASEAN S&T cooperation to jointly tackle societal challenges Title of [Thailand] Presentation Sub$tle/other informa$on Innovative Innovation in: STI Days, Bangkok, 21 Jan 2014 Session: Innovation in ASEAN Alexander Degelsegger/ZSI Wanichar Sukprasertchai/NSTDA 1
I. Context Excellent public research labs at universi$es (nine major research universi$es) and PROs (like NSTDA, etc.) with strong publica$on output High number of researchers educated overseas Strong manufacturing base (automo$ve industry, pharma, electronics...) SME dominated economy; mul$na$onals in some sectors, a number of big Thai conglomerates (e.g. in the food sector) Rela$vely lille industry R&D Venture capital scene developing 2
I. Context GERD/GDP: 0.2-0.25% Budget alloca$on nego$ated annually with the Budget Bureau Indirect R&D incen$ves: BoI through Revenue Department Infrastructure development: Thailand Science Park (Innova$on Cluster 2), regional science parks, Science City Major research funders: TRF, NRCT, NSTDA, ARDA regularly meet in the forma$on of a Na$onal Research Management Network Broad range of instruments, with some missing and discon$nuous parts 3
II. Innovative innovation support 4
II. Innovative innovation support Research and Researcher for Industry (RRI- TRF) Programme context: - TRF programme - Goals: Support to young researchers, engaging them more with industry; beler connec$ng universi$es and industry; universi$es performing industry relevant research - Complemen$ng other junior researcher support programmes at TRF (like the Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Programme) - Aiming at bridging the gap between research and innova$on Programme details: - Grants for individual young researchers working on MSc or PhD projects of relevance to industry - Topics defined by industry - Co- funding - Overall funding available around 200mio THB, i.e. around 5mio 5
II. Innovative innovation support Talent Mobility Programme Programme context: - Na$onal STI Policy Office (STI) - Goals: to facilitate the mobility of researchers from government research and higher educa$on ins$tu$ons to industry - Filling a gap in the Thai innova$on system: cross- sector mobility - Scien$sts bring research poten$al to industry and bring back R&D results, technical skills, field and applica$on knowledge, management skills Programme details/concept: - Talent Mobility CommiLee approves project proposals submiled by SMEs and experts together, and co- funds (50-70%, but not over 400,000 THB) the projects - Models: - - - Technology advisor (university enterprise) Technologist- to- hometown (S&T manpower in ci$es tech entrepreneurs at home) Researcher spin- off (university start- up/tech business) - Industry reimburses university (SMEs are exempt from reimbursement) 6
II. Innovative innovation support NIA programmes Programme context: - Na$onal Innova$on Agency - Goals: bridging the gap in funding/risk capital for research commercialisa$on Programme details: - Technology Capitalisa$on Scheme : suppor$ng companies in prototyping and proof- of- concept NIA grants up 75% of the budget up to 5mio THB over three years NIA contribu$on usable for hiring experts, running tests, acquiring machines and IP - Good innova$on, zero interest : For research commercialisa$on further downstream NIA pays interests due in the first three years (max) of a bank loan for SMEs Project proposals are developed in close coopera$on with the loan gran$ng bank The idea is that the grantees apply first for the Tech Capitalisa$on Scheme, then for the Good innova$on, zero interest scheme 7
III. Conclusions Crucial types of programmes for Thailand s innova$on system Remains to be seen whether circula$on of human resources starts, where the researchers involved in these programmes are heading, what their priori$es are, etc. Important for lesson learning Programmes sustaining and evalua$ng Challenges: Funding available for innova$on instruments (at the research funding agencies, NIA, etc.) is limited; ins$tu$onal path dependencies; programme discon$nui$es; poli$cal situa$on OpportuniBes Research poten$al, human resources, range of instruments and experiences, dynamic economy, infrastructure 8
Contact Thank you! Centre for Social InnovaBon/Austria; NSTDA/Thailand Alexander Degelsegger / Wanichar Sukprasertchai degelsegger@zsi.at, wanichar.sukprasertchai@nstda.or.th The final study will be available at: www.sea- eu.net in June 2014 9
II. Innovative innovation support [use the remaining slides to present 1-3 noteworthy innova$on support instruments (can be programmes, networking fora, online ac$vi$es, etc.) of the country you are presen$ng; Inform about: - type of measure - Ins$tu$onal context of the instrument (implemen$ng funding agency, etc) - its posi$on/role/relevance in the innova$on system (referring to the context you presented earlier) is it closing a gap in the innova$on support system, is it streamlining efforts, etc etc - its development (if you have informa$on on the policy strategies the instrument responds to, etc.), history, future - budget, par$cipa$on rules, beneficiaries, sta$s$cs on the usage - What is special about the instrument - Your thoughts regarding the relevance of the instrument in other countries, Southeast Asia ] 10