MHESI-NXPO participated in the 85th Meeting of ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation (COSTI-85) and related meetings on 3-7 June 2024 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), Cambodia.
Dr. Surachai Sathitkunarat, Senior Strategist and Acting Vice President of NXPO, represented Thailand at the 16th Board of Advisers to COSTI (BAC-16) Meeting. NXPO International Policy Partnership Director Dr. Pranpreya Sriwannawit Lundberg and NXPO Senior Policy Specialist Ms. Vipaporn Asavapisit attended the BAC-16 Meeting, the COSTI-85 Meeting and the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-20).
The objective of the BAC-16 Meeting was to discuss the progress and implementation of various COSTI projects and exchange STI policy initiatives among ASEAN member countries and ASEAN dialogue partners.
During the BAC-16 meeting, Dr. Surachai proposed an ASEAN collaboration on climate change and suggested bringing ASEAN climate change initiatives to global attention at international forums such as the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP). Dr. Surachai also supported foresight activities in the ASEAN Science, Technology & Innovation Ecosystem Foresight 2035, emphasizing the potential of foresight tools in identifying trends and future scenarios for analyzing and planning for changes in ASEAN. He provided additional information about the APEC Center for Technology Foresight (APEC CTF), which is hosted by NXPO.
Dr. Pranpreya suggested enhancing the role of the BAC by increasing engagement of the private sector, underscoring the importance of including representatives from both large corporates and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The discussions at the AMMSTI-20 Meeting centered around the science, technology, and innovation policies in member countries and within the ASEAN framework. The meeting also deliberated on the socio-economic impacts of artificial intelligence (AI). On this agenda, Thailand shared its national AI policy and MHESI’s AI initiatives aimed at leveraging AI for national development.