On 21 April 2023, an MOU signing ceremony was held to mark the collaboration between NSTDA and the Defence Technology Institute (DTI). The MOU was signed by NSTDA President Prof. Dr. Sukit Limpijumnong and DTI Director-General General Choochart Buakhao. The event was attended by senior managements from both parties, including DTI Deputy Director-General Major General Pirapong Phomeaun and NSTDA Vice President Dr. Adisorn Tuantranont.
The NSTDA-DTI collaboration will focus on the development and exploitation of dual-use technology. As the government aims to make the defense industry a new s-curve industry for Thailand, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) is tasked to strengthen research and development in dual-use technology.
General Choochart Buakhao remarked that this MOU will reinforce the collaborative work that has been on-going between DTI and NSTDA. Both DTI and NSTDA will contribute their manpower and resources to innovate, organize activities to support human resource development, knowledge sharing and put research into practice.
Prof. Dr. Sukit Limpijumnong said that as a member of MHESI, NSTDA is committed to develop technology and innovation to support social and economic development. In addition to its five national research centers – NECTEC, MTEC, BIOTEC, NANOTEC and ENTEC, NSTDA also set up focus centers to create innovations for driving target industries. One of the focus centers is the National Security and Dual-Use Technology Center (NSD) which has a mission to drive the development of technologies which can be used for military applications and civilian purposes.
“NSD and DTI have collaborated on several occasions. One outstanding example is the development of dual-use and security technology roadmap to support Thailand 4.0 policy. The project was funded by Thailand Science Research Innovation (TSRI). The roadmap will provide substantive input to the design of policy and strategy to create an ecosystem for innovation and exploitation of defense technology,” said Prof. Sukit.