True to fund labs at top universities to boost innovation
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True Corporation has invested Bt110 million to launch the "True Lab" project in a bid to help university students develop their skills and exchange business ideas for use in the real world.
It has included a contest to encourage research innovation by university students in seven areas, with the winning team to get a fully funded study trip abroad.
True president and CEO Supachai Cheearavanont told a press conference on Wednesday the idea was to support Thai innovators and innovation development, as True believed that giving importance to research in the education sector would be a key force to propel the country toward sustainable development.
“We provide the opportunities for university students with good potential to exchange ideas and knowledge and [to] develop the innovations that respond to business sector needs, that are practical, and are of good value for society and the country,” Supachai said.
The True Lab will be set up on a pilot basis at Chulalongkorn, Mahidol, Srinakharinwirot, Thammasat, Kasetsart, Bangkok and Chiang Mai universities, plus King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lat Krabang, before extending to other universities.
The Bt110 million in funding is divided into two parts. The first covers research co-operation and research expenses, which includes study trips overseas for students and university instructors who win the “True Lab” contest.
The second is to build True Lab offices on campus, equipped with technology and infrastructure for students and university staff to do research and exchange knowledge in a “creativity-oriented environment”.
True Corp deputy director and head of innovation Teerapon Tanomsakyut said the True Lab contest would be open for students from the universities above (science or social science streams) who form a team of five to join the contest. Each team can propose a research topic from the seven pre-designated areas.
These are: telecommunications and network technology, innovation for geographic information systems, innovation for learning, innovation for tourism, environmental innovation, health and medical innovation, and convergence innovation.
The contest is open for applications until July 26.
For details, log on to www.facebook/truelab.innovation.
