On 25 July 2023, NXPO President Dr. Kitipong Promwong participated in a policy dialogue on social enterprises in Thailand, joining a panel of distinguished experts. Hosted by the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, the event aimed to foster an ecosystem conducive to social enterprise development and identify collaborative mechanisms to support its growth.
In his presentation, Dr. Kitipong stated that the national higher education, science, research and innovation policy places emphasis on three aspects, namely society & environment, innovation-based economy and grassroots economy and social enterprise development aligns with these three aspects. NXPO has set a target to improve the socio-economic status of 1 million grassroots individuals by 2027, focusing on helping people to get back into the job market and promoting local businesses to create a positive impact within the community.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) has launched several initiatives to develop human capital and infrastructure to empower entrepreneurs. A social enterprise incubation platform has been established in science parks to provide mentorship and assistance encompassing both business and technological aspects. Infrastructures including pilot plants, a pool of experts in business and technology, financial facilities, and supporting systems such as recruitment and procurement, have been put in place to help enterprises grow and thrive.
“Social enterprises can serve as an incubator to nurture local entrepreneurs, enabling them to contribute to the community development, generate employment opportunities, strengthen the growth of the creative economy, and facilitate sustainable income generation within the community,” added Dr. Kitipong.
A new public organization is being established to administer funds dedicated to supporting research and innovation for competitiveness enhancement and area-based development. In addition to giving fundings to research and academic institutes, the organization can provide grants to enterprises to support research and innovation initiatives, as well as commercialization and marketing of innovative technologies and products. In addition, new platforms have been introduced to assist enterprises in expanding their businesses through e-commerce and international trade and provide access to highly skilled talents. These mechanisms initiated by MHESI are expected to foster the growth of social enterprises, thereby contributing to grassroots economic development.
