Minister of Science and Technology Atchaka Sriboonrueng said she believes innovation is not an ideology that should remain exclusive to academic researchers or scientists.
Innovation, she said, can involve creativity and new ideas in daily life by ordinary people. Thus, innovators can be local farmers utilising traditional expertise or ordinary people who come up with fresh ideas to improve their conditions, make products better or life more worth living.
"Innovation should not just be the domain of researchers who sometimes come up with an idea only to put it on the shelf. Innovation should also be practical, commercial and responsive to social needs," said Ms Atchaka during the opening ceremony of "i-NNOVATION THAILAND WEEK 2017", a trade fair and exhibition for local entrepreneurs and start-ups.
The event is organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Innovation Agency (NIA). Both agencies are using the exhibition as a means to redefine the concept of innovation in order to bring it to the attention of the public and make it more accessible and commercially viable.
However, visitors expecting displays of scientific experiments and cutting-edge technology will be surprised.
Of course, there are plenty of drones, online start-ups and new technologies such as the 3D animation programme to diagnose burnt skins created by Thonburi Hospital to treat severe burns and a vehicle coating made of discarded plastic bottles. There is also an impressive new rice-based technology called Ganfai, a flame-retardant material made from rice husks designed to be a safer alternative to asbestos for use in the construction industry.
However, alongside these high-profile exhibits there are also inventions designed and crafted by ordinary people. Among them are ice cream flavours like khao soi (noodles in spicy coconut soup), a palm-sized mini toilet pod designed for female drivers to use during traffic congestion and solar-roofed boats for use in national parks.
There are also ventures in social innovation such as the SHE (Social Health Enterprise) project. Located at a clinic in Din Daeng district in Bangkok, SHE aims to teach former female prisoners and children from hill tribe villages chiropractic massage skills that can help them earn an income and contribute to city life in a positive way. SHE's chiropractic services will be available at skytrain stations and airports next year.
The exhibition is a showcase for how the government is trying to realise its vision of Thailand 4.0, whereby it hopes to use technology and innovation to improve society, business and the welfare of the country.
Ms Atchaka said the ministry and the NIA are not just focused on promoting innovation per se. "We are trying to create a complete ecosystem so innovators can commercialise their projects and sell them not only domestically but also internationally," she said.
Thus, the exhibition has also invited commercial banks, venture capital groups and law firms with expertise in registering intellectual property rights. Workshops have been scheduled to help match start-ups with innovators as well.
The Science Ministry -- appointed by the government to promote science and innovation for Thailand 4.0 -- has launched many events this year and implemented a number of technical and financial schemes to help local start-ups, innovators and SMEs. This year alone, the ministry has already provided 396 million baht in grants to 353 projects.
The ministry believes that innovation can help these projects add value to their products and services and create trade volumes worth 1.5 billion baht. For the upcoming year, the ministry has raised its target and hope to provide help to 2,000 local entrepreneurs and start-up projects.
Apart from funding, the ministry and the NIA have created many areas across the country to serve as hubs for new start-ups in the form of science parks. These areas are located in big cities such as Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Phuket and also in cities along the Eastern Economic Corridor.
"The problem of innovation in Thailand has nothing to do with the quality of our innovators. The big challenge is in finding the financial resources," Ms Atchaka told the media. The government, via the Ministry of Finance, however, has decided to give Thai innovation a kickstart after it approved 1.5 billion baht to be used as seed funding to create a special fund for start-ups.
Ms Atchaka said the slogan for the next year is "Invest Nation". Under the "Invest Nation" banner, the government wants to help local entrepreneurs and start-ups reach out and take a significant piece of the international market.