The Embassy of Luxembourg in Thailand will actively link incubators and accelerators in both countries as it seeks to strengthen its partnership with the Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (ScII) with a view to spurring innovation.

During its first visit to the School on March 18, 2021, the delegation led by Ambassador Jean-Paul Senninger highlighted how the relatively small country of Luxembourg had tapped into innovation to emerge as a leader in global finance, media technologies, satellites and space technologies, ICT infrastructure, data-drive economy, and supercomputing. The University of Luxembourg has already made its mark in this respect among top young universities globally and invites collaborative ventures with Chulalongkorn University.

Welcomed by Dr. Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, Vice President for Strategic Planning, Innovation and Global Engagement (Chulalongkorn University), and Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, ScII Executive Director, the delegation included Gabriel Baptista, Deputy Head of Mission, Charlotte Helminger, Counsellor, and Sahanon Pramuanchok, Project Manager.

Embassy officials invited Chulalongkorn University to join Start-Up Luxembourg, an incubation program initiated by the Ministry of the Economy. Another landmark initiative titled House of Deep Tech consists of an incubation program focused on Southeast Asia. The MeluXina Supercomputer Project also invites proposals to run large-scale experiments on its facilities. The University of Luxembourg is also offering scholarships to students desirous of pursuing higher education on its campus.

Welcoming the delegation, Dr. Natcha highlighted how Chualongkorn’s Innovation Hub is making great strides in Leading the Future. Speaking about Thailand’s Entrepreneurial Universities Framework, she presented the startup portfolio of Chulalongkorn University. Prof. Worsak outlined the Speedboat strategy and the Sandbox model deployed by ScII to groom a new breed of global citizens who are empowered to negotiate the challenges of a changing world. “Our graduates will emerge as innovation entrepreneurs, technology innovators, and social transformers,” said Prof. Worsak. ScII faculty member Dr. Ronnakorn Vaiyavuth also provided an overview of student innovation projects.

Participating in the deliberations were Dr. Pattharaporn Suntharasaj, Director of Global Research and Innovation Promotion, Chulalongkorn Office of International Affairs (OIA); Kulawat Puntarikkotok, International Relations Office, OIA; Dr. Warinya Chemnasiri, Head of Academic Services; Dr. Pakjira Leelertphan, Head of Administration; and Daria Dmitrieva, International Affairs Officer.