Innovation: Making the research creativity into value reality

On August 9, 2023, the chairman of the council of the Rajamangala University of Technology Presidents, Associate Professor Sommai Pivsa-Art, Ph.D., shared his expertise on strengthening communities and standards in the creative economy at the Thailand Research Expo 2023.

Rajamangala University of Technology (RMUT) is a network of 9 universities specializing in technology and innovation, spread across 23 provinces with 36 campuses. RMUT prioritizes human capital, technology, an enabling environment, finance, and government policies to actualize its academic direction. Each university or campus collaborates based on their unique strengths. In 2021, RMUT introduced the “ONE RMUT” policy to promote collaboration and co-creation within its network. The policy aims to reinforce the connection between the university and enterprises through innovations and to create resilient communities by adding value to people, processes, products, places, project innovation, and problem-solving. Successful examples of cooperation on the “ONE RMUT” have been outlined through the Talent Resource Management platform, the tourism service and learning innovation platform for minor tourist destinations, and the project of research-based enterprise motivation.

RMUTT also showcased successful cases of strengthening communities and enterprises in various fields such as biology, chemistry, industrial engineering, civil engineering, and medical science. Associate Professor Sommai Pivsa-Art, Ph.D., explained that RMUTT has been recognized as a “Technology and Innovation University.” As a result, the university has refined its vision, defining “innovation” as the process of transforming creativity into value reality. At RMUTT, research and projects are evaluated based on their ability to deliver value, asking two critical questions: “What’s new?” and “What’s the impact?” Additionally, the target audience and project beneficiaries are taken into consideration. This marks a turning point for RMUTT to transfer its research with appropriate technologies and innovations to make community products more valuable and reach national or international standards.