The Parliamentary Committee on Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation met with representatives from the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Thai Startup Association, highlighting that Thailand must transform its "knowledge capital" into "competitive power" and accelerate connections between universities, industry, and startups to build a new economy.
On 11 Jun 2026 GMT+7, at the Parliament building, the Parliamentary Committee on Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (Parliamentary Committee) of the House of Representatives held a meeting to gather opinions from the private sector. Representatives from the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Startup Association, and proposals from the Federation of Thai Industries attended to exchange views on workforce development, upgrading higher education systems, and enhancing the country's competitiveness in the era of digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI).
Ms. Thitima Chaisaeng, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, said the discussion clearly reflected the business sector’s voice that Thailand faces a new form of competition, no longer based on cost or labor wages, but on the quality of the workforce, innovation capability, and speed in applying knowledge for economic benefit.
“The private sector’s concern is not just a labor shortage but a shortage of personnel with skills matching industry needs. At the same time, Thai entrepreneurs, especially small and medium enterprises and startups, face competition from global companies but still lack sufficient access to knowledge, technology, and quality personnel.”
Ms. Thitima added that Thailand must shift from relying on its former comparative advantage to creating competitive advantage through science, research, technology, and innovation to enhance national productivity, add value, and promote future industries such as food technology, health technology, manufacturing technology, service technology, and data-driven economy.
Another key issue echoed by the private sector is that Thailand still has gaps in the innovation value chain—from research, prototype development, pilot testing, to commercialization—resulting in many promising technologies and research not fully generating economic value. Enhancing the country’s competitiveness requires a systemic approach with continuous support mechanisms throughout upstream, midstream, and downstream stages, linking universities, businesses, investors, and government to collaboratively drive innovation toward practical commercial use.
Mr. Prasert Phatthanapolpaiboon, advisor to the Parliamentary Committee, said proposals from the private sector consistently highlight a gap between the education system and the real working world, causing many businesses to invest in retraining personnel, while numerous universities still produce graduates whose skills do not match market demands.
He said that future universities should do more than just produce graduates; they must become strategic partners of the economy, sources of innovation, technology transfer hubs, and collaborators in workforce development with industry from the outset through joint curriculum design, work-integrated learning, and research addressing real-world applications.
Mr. Prasert further stated that Thailand should promote universities to become Entrepreneurial Universities that provide opportunities for students, researchers, and entrepreneurs to jointly develop innovations, create new businesses, and commercialize research results via innovation business incubators, technology transfer mechanisms, and early-stage private sector partnerships.
At the same time, Thailand should accelerate the creation of a flexible lifelong learning system that meets labor market needs through new tools such as micro-credentials, credit banks, and digital skill wallets, as well as support measures for upskilling and reskilling workers, enabling Thai people to continuously develop themselves throughout their working lives.
The Parliamentary Committee will compile proposals from the private sector into policy recommendations for the government and relevant agencies to promote integrated collaboration among the education system, science, research, innovation, business sector, and the Thai startup ecosystem. This will form a crucial foundation for enhancing competitiveness, creating quality jobs, and driving sustainable growth of Thailand’s economy in the future.
