Thailand's NANOTEC signs Centre of Excellent (phase 2) agreement

(Nanowerk News) NANOTEC and 8 universities signed the Center of Excellence (CoE) Agreement (Phase 2) on August 29 at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Bangkok. The signing was chaired by H.E. Dr. Plodprasop Suraswadi, Minister of Science and Technology.
Dr. Plodprasop Suraswadi, Minister of Science and Technology, Thailand
The minister of Science and Technology (center) with members of CoE and NANOTEC.
“The CoE Agreement (Phase 2) represents another milestone on the progress of nanotechnology development in Thailand. It aligns with the National Nanotechnology Policy Framework (2012 – 2021), which my ministry has signed for the approval by the cabinet” said Dr. Plodprasop. “It will be the national guidelines for nanotechnology development. The goal of this framework is ambitious. We are calling for science, technology, and innovation in nanotechnology to be increased by 10 folds. This is coupled with the development of human resources and infrastructure. This agreement signing will help to expedite research collaborations that are relevant to national interests. One of the areas that I would like to urge from this agreement is the participation from the private sector. Research topics must be relevant to industrial needs. This is very important and something that must be factored in the collaboration activity”.
CoE (Phase 2) Agreement is a 5 years counterpart funding (50/50) approach between NANOTEC and the 8 CoEs. The total budget is estimated at Baht 300 million. The aim of CoE (Phase 2) Agreement will focus on joint research collaboration to create high impact results in industrial and commercial sectors. It will still continue the academic related funding such as paper publication and patent which was present in Phase 1.
The CoE are as follow:
1. CoE Kasetsert University, Bangkok; 2. CoE Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; 3. CoE King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok; 4. CoE Mahidol University, Bangkok; 5. CoE Prince of Songkla University, Songkla; 6. CoE Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen; 7. CoE King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Thonburi 8. Suranaree University of Technology (SUT)
Source: NANOTEC