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Dear
friends,
The
Ministry
of
Industry
and the
Ministry
of
Science
and
Technology
are
working
on a
master
plan to
strengthen
the
intellectual
infrastructure
and
support
sufficiency
economy,
as well
as to
increase
Thailand’s
competitiveness
in a
sustainable
manner.
The
master
plan
consists
of human
resource
development,
technology
and
innovation
development,
basic
industrial
research
and
development,
standards
and
regulations,
and
infrastructural
and
institutional
development.
It has
three
main
objectives-to
develop
the
technological
innovation
capacity
of at
least 35
percent
of
domestic
enterprises,
to
enhance
closer
cooperation
among
research
institutes,
universities,
and the
manufacturing
sector,
and to
support
the
increase
of
research
and
development
personnel.
From the
analysis
of
problems
facing
Thailand’s
research
and
development
in
science
and
technology,
it was
found
that the
R&D
rationale
was off-balance,
with a
singular
focus on
solving
the
supply-side
problem
of R&D
such as
basic
infrastructure,
budgetary
allowance
for
research
institutes,
and R&D
human
resource
development.
These
supply-side
factors,
while
important,
are not
adequate
in
making
up the
right
balance
of
national
R&D
blueprint.
Thailand
still
lacks
adequate
demands
for R&D
in
science
and
technology.
Due to
the
country’s
relatively
small
economy,
the
private
sector
often
does not
have
enough
incentives
to
invest
in R&D
in
science
and
technology.
As the
market
for such
R&D is
usually
small,
it is
often
thought
that the
return
on
investment
would
not be
worth
the
money.
In most
developed
countries,
the
private
sector
is
usually
the main
investor
in R&D,
particularity
in large
undertakings
that
require
huge
investment
and have
a large
market
base to
support
large-scale
R&D.
However,
most
large
businesses
in
Thailand
are not
the main
driving
force in
R&D as
they
usually
emerged
in the
atmosphere
of
market
monopoly
as a
result
of the
protection
afforded
by
concession
systems,
market
obstacles,
and
other
privileges
associated
with
political
cronyism.
These
enterprises
hence
faced no
necessity
to
investment
in R&D,
as their
political
investment
already
gave
them the
monopoly
that
generated
valuable
profits
and much
fewer
risks
than R&D
investment.
The Thai
society
also
often
fails to
attach
enough
importance
to
creating
innovation
or
differences.
This can
be
observed
from the
way most
entrepreneurs
in
Thailand
imitate
other
successful
innovators
rather
than
inventing
new
products
or
services.
One
reason
for this
may be
the
inefficiency
of
Thailand’s
intellectual
property
protection
regime,
which
disencourages
producers
from
investing
in R&D
to
achieve
innovation
or new
manufacturing
processes
that are
at risk
of being
emulated.
Besides,
Thai
consumers
sometimes
do not
possess
sophisticated
taste in
their
consumption
behaviours,
are not
very
particular
or
fastidious
about
buying
goods
and
services,
or do
not
really
stand up
for
their
consumers’rights
upon
receiving
sub-standard
or
unreasonably
priced
products
or
services.
These,
when
coupled
with the
fact
that
mechanisms
in
protecting
consumers’rights
in
Thailand
remain
relatively
weak,
result
in
inadequate
protection
of
consumers’rights
in
general.
Within
such a
context,
producers
of goods
and
services
feel no
need to
invest
in R&D
to
improve
the
quality
of their
offers.
Despite
the not-so-good
quality,
their
products
and
services
will
still
sell.
My
proposal,
therefore,
is that
the
support
for R&D
in
science
and
technology
should
not
focus
only on
the
supply-side
by
making
available
financial
incentives,
resources,body
of
knowledge
body, or
R&D
personnel.
Rather,
it
should
also
focus on
the
demand-side
management
of R&D,
such as
the
creation
of
enviroments
conducive
to
competition
by
further
liberalizing
the
market,
the
improvement
of legal
systems
and the
enforcement
of anti-trust
laws,
the
elimination
of
corruption
problems
and
conflicts
of
interests,
the
strengthening
of
intellectual
property
protection
regime,
and the
more
rigorous
protection
of
consumers’rights.Other
things
that
could be
done
include
the
improvement
of
educational
systems
and
business
culture
that
make
entrepreneurs
realize
the
importance
of R&D
and
equip
them
with
capabilities
fo
innovation.
Consumers,meanwhile,must
be
encouraged
to
better
understand
and
stand up
for
their
own
rights.
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