Thailand Prioritizes High-Skill Workforce Development in 2570 Budget

On June 30, 2569, Parliament reviewed the fiscal year 2570 budget bill worth 3.788 trillion baht. Deputy Prime Minister Yossaknan Wongsuwan, who also heads the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHSRI), explained the ministry's budgeting framework, emphasizing the need to work collaboratively over the government's four-year term with both short and long-term perspectives to address immediate concerns while building foundational structures.

Regarding economic development, the ministry uses research and investment mechanisms to facilitate technology transfer. The focus is on developing sufficient human capital with high-level skills through reskilling and upskilling programs. Universities are being transformed into incubation centers and opportunity platforms that connect students, entrepreneurs, and investors to support new ventures that commercial banks might not fund, thereby driving practical research applications.

The private sector will benefit by supporting scientific advancement without excessive risk, as universities establish joint ventures to ensure Thai research has real-world applications. These efforts include science diplomacy partnerships with the Foreign Ministry and both domestic and international incubation.

The ministry addresses a dual economic strategy: sustaining traditional economic engines while transitioning to new ones such as high-value agriculture and high-value industries. Universities will increase their knowledge commercialization revenue through patents in collaboration with the Commerce Ministry, accelerating Thai patent approvals and supporting international patent mechanisms to increase patent value.

Yossaknan highlighted social innovation and security concerns, noting that research funding units are now coordinated with the Defense Ministry through a unified funding mechanism (RUP) to comprehensively address national needs. Anti-corruption measures include open data initiatives and consolidated research databases.

The budget framework focuses on four areas: innovation ecosystems for economic and social development, university improvement, higher education funding, and science research and innovation funding. These are divided into two funds. Yossaknan thanked lawmakers for emphasizing research funding's importance, noting that as global knowledge and thinking rapidly evolve, Thailand cannot rely solely on downstream application but must invest in foundational research.