ABOUT US
The Establishment of the National Research Council and the Office of the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)
An idea of setting up the “National Research Council” was begun in 1929 in the period of Lt. Gen. Phraya Salwidharnnidhes, first chairman of the NRCT’s Executive Board, but the idea was not supported. Dr.Tua Laphanukrom, Director-General of the Department of Science by then tried to found the National Research Council and Scientific Research Institute, but achieved no success due to his death. Then Dr.Chang Ratanarat as successive Director-General of the Department presented afresh the establishment plan to the government. As, meanwhile, Prof.Dr. Pradisth Cheosakul notified Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan, Deputy Prime Minister of the benefits and existence of the National Research Council from which the USA acquired. The National Research Council was then elected with the aim of being a national agency which consisted of senior experts in various academic fields, and act as advisory body of the government in charge of proposing suggestions from research to the government for taking long term policy planning into account. As to the duties of the National Research Council, Premier Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, chairman of the National Research Council addressed in the first council meeting on 23 December 1959.
Research and innovation are an important mechanism to drive the national economy, social development, and environmental protection. With research and innovation, the country can overcome the middle-income trap, inequality trap, and imbalance trap, be prepared to handle possible impacts from global change, and increase its competitiveness to bring security, prosperity, and sustainability in consistent with the goals of the National Strategy (2018-2037).
Article 13 the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has authorities and functions related to research and innovation funding, creating national databases and indexes in science, research and innovation, initiating, driving and operating on national key research and innovation projects, establishing research standards and ethics, promoting and transferring knowledge for application, supporting and encouraging personnel development in terms of research and innovation, and giving awards, honoring, or complimenting individuals or institutions for their research and innovation.
Over the past 60 years, the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has played an important role in driving research for development of the country pursuant to the National Strategy. It is now operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, which was established and announced in the Government Gazette in May 2019. NRCT is the major organization sponsoring funds for research and innovation of the country in the fields of science, technology, social sciences, and humanities, from the stage of conducting research to the stage of application, with 7 major missions as follows:
01Sponsoring national research and innovation funds
02Creating databases and indexes in science, and national research and innovation
03Initiating, driving, and coordinating the operations of important national research and innovation projects
04Establishing research standards and ethics
05Promoting and transferring knowledge for application
06Supporting and encouraging personnel development in terms of research and innovation
07Giving awards, honoring, or complimenting individuals or institutions for their research and innovation
After carrying out the missions, we can achieve research and innovation that meet the requirements of the country development guidelines, as well as integrated research and innovation information systems, which can be used to determine strategies to increase the country’s competitiveness.
“NRCT develops the country with
research and innovation”
research and innovation”
