Science & Technology Cooperation Workshop co-organised by the European Union Delegation to Thailand and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit Hotel 11 June 2013 Overview of Bilateral European Union Thailand S&T Cooperation Programmes synergies and divergences Christoph Elineau, Tec 2 Short term expert
Outline Background and Methodology Observations Scientific output Cooperation mechanisms Recommendations
Background/Methodology Short term expertise in the framework of the Thailand- EU Cooperation project (TEC 2) Within TEC 2 focus on S&T cooperation, with 2 subtopics: EU-Thailand S&T Cooperation in the areas of policy, researcher mobility, and research funding. Evaluation of bilateral programs in S&T cooperation. Science for the Public/Science for the Youth. Monitoring and Assessment of Programs in EU member states (value for Thailand) Timeline/Methodology: Two mission to Thailand (Sept. 2012; April 2013) Desk-based research Presentation and Feedback
Observations: Scientific output Scientific output and collaboration patterns Steep increase in scientific output in Thailand in the past 10 years International collaboration one of the key drivers Scientific cooperation between Thailand and European researchers is increasing exponentially Dominating cooperation partners (UK, F, GER) Dominating cooperation topics (Health, Food&Ag, Environment)
Scientific output Source: Innovation in Southeast Asia,OECD 2012 (ISI, Web of Science data)
count Scientific output Articles co-published by authors from ASEAN and EU, and ASEAN and other major players(*) 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 year ASEAN / India ASEAN / EU (incl. AC + CC) ASEAN / Australia ASEAN / China ASEAN / Japan ASEAN / South Korea ASEAN / USA ASEAN / Taiwan Source: Spotlight on : S&T cooperation between Europe and Southeast Asia; SEA- EU-NET report) (combined Web of Science and Scopus data)
Scientific output n of co-publications Thailand/EU reseearchers (2000, 2005, 2010) 2000 2005 2010 ALL 364 1011 1780 UK 132 328 476 France 36 119 250 Germany 41 119 218 The Netherlands 32 67 113 Switzerland 21 49 104 Followed by Sweden, Austria, Italy, Belgium Source: Spotlight on : S&T cooperation between Europe and Southeast Asia; SEA- EU-NET report) (combined Web of Science and Scopus data)
Scientific output n of co-publications ASEAN countries/eu in thematic fields (2000,-2010) Health Food &Ag Env ICT Nanotech Ind. Tech Energy Thailand 1.409 611 525 42 114 13 137 Singapore 975 511 253 130 308 25 108 Malaysia 284 295 299 36 86 16 62 Indonesia 318 300 411 8 14 0 44 Vietnam 129 46 52 3 0 1 2 Source: Spotlight on : S&T cooperation between Europe and Southeast Asia; SEA- EU-NET report) (combined Web of Science and Scopus data)
Observations: Cooperation mechanisms Scientific cooperation supported by a variety of different collaboration mechanisms: Multi-annual bilateral cooperation programmes based on institutional agreements Representations/Offices of EU Research Institutions Cooperation between individual academic institutions Multilateral Cooperation Schemes/Programs (FP7)
Cooperation mechanisms Characteristics Cooperation mechanisms Thematic priorities UK-Thai Partners in Science Programme 2 year cooperation programme Broad set of cooperation mechanisms: Scientific workshops, Researcher exchange Joint S&T Science for the public programs Lecture series Health/Infectious diseases Life Sciences/Healthcare Climate change and renewable energy technologies Food and agricultural sciences French-Thai Cooperation Programme Broad support to different aspects of S&T cooperation 3 types of cooperation mechanisms: Joint Research projects Junior research fellowship programme (Post-doc) Scholarships for PhD and Master students No predefined thematic scope. Majority of projects in: Health, Food/Agriculture Material Science German-Thai S&T Cooperation Cooperation agreement based on joint Terms of Reference Project-based research mobility 2 years cooperation projects Health/Infectious diseases Renewable Energy Food/Agriculture/Biotech Mass transportation/ Logistics
Cooperation mechanisms Multitude of cooperation agreements between Thai and European universities: Mahidol University lists cooperation with 23 universities in the EU (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK) Prince of Songkla University lists cooperation with 46 universities in the EU (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK) Thammasat University lists cooperation with 36 universities sin the EU (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, UK) Cooperation profiles of Universities an aggregation of individual interest/initiative of researchers/research institutes Majority of agreements focus on cooperation in Education (exchange of students, joint degrees) S&T cooperation increasingly featured
Cooperation mechanisms Source: CORDA database (Februray 2013)
Cooperation mechanisms Source: CORDA database (Februray 2013)
Cooperation mechanisms Currently a transition phase Development cooperation funded schemes are phase out New S&T cooperation programs/schemes are set up Inconsistencies in objectives for int l cooperation remain (capacity development vs. research excellence) Clear focus on few research cooperation fields Health, Food&Agriculture, Environment Little cooperation in industry-related fields (Automotive, Electronics) Cooperation tools/mechanisms partly meet the demands of Thai researchers Broad offer to initiate contacts between EU and Thai researchers (scientific workshops, matchmaking, etc..) Limited support to establish long-term R&D institutional cooperation
Cooperation mechanisms Cooperation mechanisms support each other Bilateral relations reflected in FP7 consortia Different bilateral programs are running in parallel (few interlinkages, no institutionalised information exchange) Unique position for FP7 (supporting Thai researchers in large, world-class applied R&D consortia) Thai research universities start to develop int l cooperation strategies
Recommendations Bridge between academia and industry Fund long-term cooperation projects Adapt implementation mechanisms Broaden cooperation patterns with Europe, within ASEAN Enlarge cooperation topics, future collaborative schemes
Thank you very much for your Contact details at the DLR: Christoph Elineau International Bureau of the BMBF c/o German Aerospace Center Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1 53227 Bonn fone: +49 (0)228 3821-1437 Fax: +49 (0) 228 / 3821-1444 E-mail: christoph.elineau@dlr.de www.internationales-buero.de attention.