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The National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) or NIA has unveiled the “Innovation Thailand” campaign, which seeks to transfigure Thailand from a “cultural destination” to an “innovation nation.” The campaign’s slogan — “Innovation for Crafted Living” — highlights innovative creations as having been an integral part of the Thai people’s way of life and showcases this new façade of Thailand to the world.

According to Dr. Pun-arj Chairatana, NIA executive director, the National Innovation Agency plays a pivotal role in bolstering the nation’s strength on the innovation front and is committed to Thailand’s transformation into an innovation nation. The NIA regards innovation as a driving force that will propel Thailand toward a better future and as a tool that will sustainably improve Thai citizens’ quality of life and happiness. The organization has provided funding to incubate Thai innovators, as well as host innovation-related activities and build innovation-supporting infrastructure. All of its undertakings improve Thai people’s access to innovation. The NIA’s latest campaign — “Innovation Thailand” — focuses on highlighting the country’s “innovation nation” identity, as well as keeping the international community well informed of the transformation. This campaign is aligned with the policy of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation on building and developing community-, business- and social innovations that will enable Thailand to attain the status of an innovation nation.

“Thailand has produced many innovations, but they remain relatively unknown among foreigners and Thai people themselves. The perception that Thailand is a cultural destination imposes a barrier upon the country. To open people’s eyes, we need to promote an awareness and acknowledgment of Thai innovations. The NIA is using "Innovation for Crafted Living" as the central communication theme. It reflects Thai people’s innate lifestyle intricacies. These are embodied in Thai innovations that make our lives happier, more convenient and more refined,” Dr. Pun-arj explained.

Innovation Thailand not only seeks to communicate the country’s new image to the rest of the world but also strives to foster Thai innovation pride among Thai residents. The campaign hopes to spark creativity among Thai innovators, whose creations will contribute to the country’s economic prosperity. The campaign also targets foreigners who may be interested in investing in Thai innovations or looking for innovative solutions from Thailand. The campaign makes use of both online and offline platforms to spread its message, including the Innovation Thailand Expo, other trade events, press releases, a website, Facebook posts and video clips. The information transmitted via these media includes campaign facts; innovative Thai products, services and processes; particulars about businesses invented and further developed by Thai innovators; and innovation-related knowledge and trends. All of this will be incorporated into Thailand’s innovation database. The country’s hub of innovations will allow target groups to access the most up-to-date information about real and tangible Thai innovations. It will also prove that Thailand is home to numerous and diverse innovations.

“Changing Thailand’s image goes beyond the power of a governmental agency. It is the duty of every Thai citizen. Directly responsible departments are working together to strengthen and connect all sectors. The ultimate goal is to see global recognition of Thai innovations and improved ranking of Thailand on the Global Innovation Index. Thailand was recently placed at number 43, which was an improvement from our 44th place in 2018. We also made it to the top 4 of the 34 upper-middle-income countries, which means that our ability to innovate exceeds expectations when compared to our gross domestic products,” Dr. Pun-arj elaborated.