1 March 2022:   At Meeting room, 1st floor, Royal Library Building, Srapathum Palace, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presides over and chairs the meeting of the Executive Board of the Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (PSIT), No. 1/2022, to follow up and consider the progress of the foundation’s science and technology projects in the past year (2021), and the plan in 2022.

     PSIT has operated according to the royal initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to promote the use of information technology to develop the knowledge and potential of children, youth, and underprivileged people in society, particularly 5 main target groups, i.e., rural school students, children with disabilities, sick children in hospitals, prisoners, and youths in correctional institutions, to develop the quality of life and equality in educational and career opportunities. In addition, activities regarding the application of science and technology have been carried out to develop the capabilities and potential of personnel, which will lead to further development of the community, country, and quality of life of the people as a whole.

     The work of PSIT is oversight by an executive board which is chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.  The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) provides secretariat support and coordinates the overall project and activities under the foundation.

     In the past year (2021), PSIT has implemented a total of 12 science and technology projects according to the royal initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to develop the country and the lives of the people.  Activities related to the development of science and technology are also carried out to develop science and technology manpower through cooperation with foreign countries/institutions and the application of science and technology for development by emphasizing the development of capabilities and the potential of personnel which will lead to further development of the community, country, and quality of life of the people as a whole.

     Science and technology projects under PSIT can be grouped in three areas, (1) manpower development, (2) research, and (3) science and technology for quality of life. This meeting mainly focuses on human resource development and research.  In the past year (2021), PSIT has built cooperation with scientific agencies and world’s leading research institutes to allow Thai scientists to have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and participate in research at the international level, for example:

• Ice Cube Cooperation Project under the Royal Initiative, which established collaboration with international agencies. The Project are divided into 3 parts: Research, Education & Outreach, and Engineering.  Such cooperation is beneficial to Thailand in terms of expanding knowledge regarding research in high-energy particle physics from space and human resource development by integrating education with cutting-edge research at the international level and unlimited advances in engineering and advanced technology.
• Thai-Singapore cooperation project on atomic clocks for human resource development and research and development under the royal initiative. This project establishes research collaboration in quantum technology between the National Institute of Metrology, Thailand and the National University of Singapore.  Both institutions will jointly research and develop atomic clocks to be used as the definition of the second unit in Thailand in the future.  What Thailand has achieved so far is the definition of the unit of seconds and acceptance of Thai research/researcher in the international stage, the development of personnel with quality and potential comparable to international standards.  Furthermore, optical atomic clocks will be important infrastructure for Thailand in the field of communication (5G network), electronic transaction system (Financial Technology), national map control network system, etc.

     In terms of human resource development in science and technology, PSIT supports Thai students, teachers, and scientists/researchers to increase knowledge and experience as well as develop further education in research institutes or leading educational institutions abroad, such as the Thai-CERN, Thai-DESY, Thai-GSI/FAIR under the royal initiative, a royal Scholarship project to provide opportunity for students to study at the master’s and doctorate level at leading educational institutions abroad, etc.

     All in all, the implementation of all 12 projects has engaged approximately 40 partners participating in project operations in Thailand and in at least 8 other countries, with those being developed, and/or benefited from project activities In total more than 2,100 people.