A major engine for economic growth
Rapid economic development in Thailand during the past three decades has been
accompanied by increasing investment in, and growing export from, the
electronics and electrical industry sector. Relocation of production in this
industrial sector from the industrially advanced countries to Thailand started
in the late 1980's. It is still ongoing, and continuously fuels Thai economic
growth. Against such background, the timely establishment of the National
Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) has strategically
facilitated the expansion of this increasingly important industrial sector.
The Regional Hub
The emergence into prominence of the Asia-Pacific Rim countries and the
reconstruction of South-East Asian countries, after many decades of ideological
conflicts, naturally put Thailand on the path of becoming a regional
hub. Significant steps in the development of telecommunication
infrastructure have been the installation of three million
telephone lines in the mid-1990's and additional six million lines between 1997
and 2001, coupled with the launching of the first THAICOM satellite in December
1993. With such undertakings, Thailand is committed to the era of information
technology, vitalizing its manufacturing and business sectors and heralding the
age of information technology-based mass and life-long education. There
is an opportunity for Thailand to assert its role
as human resource development hub.
Forward through Tripartite Parnership
Taking cognizance of the growing capital and technology provided by the private
sector and the catalytic role of the government in the formulation of visionary
policies of incentives and qualified technical manpower in universities,
NECTEC has adopted a tri-partite approach bringing together
government, the private sector and researchers in universities and
specialized institutions. The three-party
partnership works together to develop products for existing or new markets,
with emphasis on equipment for telecommunication and office automation,
professional products, computers and software development. For the medium
term, technology development is underway in selected fields such as VLSI design
and fabrication and applications of computer technology to the national
cultural heritage, such as languages and high value-added crafts.
Networking Thai Research and Education to the World
Enhancement of the research and education infrastructure is achieved by
installation of the ThaiSarn
computer network connecting universities, research insti-tutions and public
agencies. Exchange of electronic mail, on-line information retrievals and
sharing of computer facilities through the ThaiSarn network is firmly
integrating Thai researchers within the global community.
Next Chapter: Chulalongkorn University