The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has projected research and development budgets of the public and private sectors will account for 1% of gross domestic product over the next five years, up from 0.2%last year.
President Thaweesak Koanantakool said the forecast is based on growing inquiries from private companies both large and small for NSTDA to help them improve products and services through R&D. “Competition will intensify in coming years not only among domestic players but also from overseas competitors, particularly when the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is formed in 2016,” said Mr Thaweesak.
This year, NSDTA projected the country’s combined R&D budget will increase to 0.25% of GDP or around 22 billion baht.
In five years, the value should increase to nearly 120 billion baht, he added.
In any case, Mr Thaweesak urged Thai companies to raise their contribution to the country’s R&D budget.
Currently, the contribution ratio of the public and private sectors in total R&D spending stands at 65-45 but Mr Thaweesak foresaw a reversal to 30-70 in the future.
A decade ago, as much as 60% of Thailand’s total R&D budget was spent by state agencies, he said.
As the country’s largest research house in terms of personnel and facilities, the NSTDA’s activities from now on would focus mainly on food productivity, alternative energy and energy conservation,environmental protection, healthcare and medical technologies, he said.
The NSTDA will soon get a green light from Din Certo, the Germany-based international standard certification body,to be the country’s first accreditor of bio-degradable plastics companies, he said.
As well, its National Metal and Material Center of Thailand (MTEC) is about to receive an approval to become an accreditation body of bioplastic life cycle.This will help lower the expenses of exporting bioplastics to testing centres in Europe for the time being.
Thailand is poised to become a production hub of degradable bioplastics in Asia in the near future due to availability of rawmaterials as well as upstream and downstream polymer manufacturers.
The NSTDA is hosting annual conference and exhibition from March 31 to April 3 at its headquarters in Rangsit,Pathum Thani, with major highlights of R&D in alternative energies, food yield improvement, information technology,medical and healthcare innovations.
Another highlight is a job fair with a focus on science and technology field.More than 2,000 jobs are available at the fair including those at Western Digital,Betagro and Charoen Pokphand group.
Reference :
AEC to help lift R&D to 1% of GDP. Bangkok Pos.t ฉบับวันที่ 02 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2556.– ( 150 Views)
