Bangkok--17 Sep--Asian Institute of Technology
Spain's national technology development agency, Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial (CDTI) is looking towards creating partnerships in Thailand, with an emphasis on health, energy, food and agriculture, and information and communication technologies.
CDTI's Chief Representative for India and Southeast Asia, Mr. Adrián Gutierrez, who was visiting the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 14 September 2015, spoke about the bilateral framework for providing financial support for collaborative R&D ventures between Indian and Spanish Industry and Academia, stating that CDTI is looking towards Thailand for similar partnerships.
Highlighting the focus on R&D in Spain, Mr. Adrián Gutierrez said that Spain is regarded as the 10th scientific power in the world, when rated by number of publications, and 12th in terms of having the world's most cited researchers. Also, Spain has more female researchers compared to the European average. Speaking of CDTI's role, he mentioned that so far their organization has supported 14,500 companies over the past 35 years committing funds of over 12 billion Euros.
Welcoming the delegation, AIT's Prof. Kanchana Kanchanasut, Vice President for Research spoke about how AIT was addressing the needs of the region. AIT is supportive of innovation and is considering establishing a dedicated unit which will focus on linking research and innovation with the business sector, Prof. Kanchana added.
Dr. Jai Govind Singh, Coordinator, Energy Field of Study; Dr. Anil Kumar Anal, Coordinator, Food Agriculture and Bio Systems Cluster; Dr. Matthew Dailey, Coordinator, Computer Science and Information Management (CSIM) Field of Study; and Dr. Attaphongse Taparugssanagorn of Telecommunications Field of Study presented the research work being conducted in their respective fields. Dr. Gabrielle Groves Punyaratabandhu, Head, External Relations and Communications Office (ERCO) presented a brief overview of AIT. Ms. Alba Morón, CDTI intern at the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain in Bangkok also participated in the deliberations.
Photo caption: Prof. Kanchana Kanchanasut (left) with Mr. Adrián Gutierrez.