Prince of Songkla University

Name of University

Prince of Songkla University

Country

Thailand

Date of establishment of the ASTRA HUB

30 March 2023

Number of staff members (and their roles) working in the HUB

Manager of the Centre

Asst. Prof. Dr. Tatiyaporn Jarumaneerat
Manager of the Centre
Roles:

  • Provision of input about the existing governance and funding structure of PSU
  • Provision of input about the exact skills building needs of PSU
  • Provision of input about the existing R&D consulting needs and funding opportunities in the ICT and social sector in Thailand
  • Input provision about the exact needs of PSU for the development of the tailored Governance and fundraising manual and 3-Year Plan – organisation of the transnational workshop in Thailand
  • Participation to the design of inhouse R&D Innovation Centers (specifications – requirements)
  • Contribution to the design of the capacity building programme for the management and operation of the centers
  • Attending all activities of the ToT programme
  • Organisation of 1 national training in Thailand for HEI researchers and staff on the operation of the new Centers
  • Set up of the R&D Innovation Center in PSU
  • Provision of input for the development of a Donour and Fundraising Pipeline for PSU
  • Responsible for the pilot operation of the R&D Innovation Center in PSU
  • Participation to the joint workshop on regional cooperation in institutional fundraising
  • Networking with the local industry, business and services sector in Thailand
  • Design of the strategic plan for PSU for the next 3 year period
  • Monitoring of the pilot operations in all 4 HEIs
  • Reporting on the pilot set-up and operation of the R&D Innovation Centers in all 4 HEIs
  • Contribution to the preparation of the Quality and Evaluation Plan
  • Contribution to the preparation of the Risk Assessment Plan
  • Participation to the internal evaluation processes
  • Participation to monitoring of the work of the external evaluator and replying to their requests for input
  • Appointing representatives for setting up all project management structures
  • Contribution to the preparation of the Project Work Plan
  • Participating to all intra-consortium communication processes and project meetings
  • Actively contributing to reporting towards the Contracting Authority

2 Researchers:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pornpisanu Promsivapallop
Researcher
Roles:

  • Provision of input about the existing governance and funding structure of PSU
  • Provision of input about the exact skills building needs of PSU
  • Provision of input about the existing R&D consulting needs and funding opportunities in the ICT and social sector in Thailand
  • Input provision about the exact needs of PSU for the development of the tailored Governance and fundraising manual and 3-Year Plan – organisation of the transnational workshop in Thailand
  • Participation to the design of inhouse R&D Innovation Centers (specifications – requirements)
  • Contribution to the design of the capacity building programme for the management and operation of the centers
  • Attending all activities of the ToT programme
  • Organisation of 1 national training in Thailand for HEI researchers and staff on the operation of the new Centers
  • Participation to the joint workshop on regional cooperation in institutional fundraising
  • Networking with the local industry, business and services sector in Thailand
  • Assist with the design of the strategic plan for PSU for the next 3 year period

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prathana Kannaovakun
Researcher
Roles:

  • Provision of input about the existing governance and funding structure of PSU
  • Provision of input about the exact skills building needs of PSU
  • Provision of input about the existing R&D consulting needs and funding opportunities in the ICT and social sector in Thailand
  • Input provision about the exact needs of PSU for the development of the tailored Governance and fundraising manual and 3-Year Plan – organisation of the transnational workshop in Thailand
  • Participation to the design of inhouse R&D Innovation Centers (specifications – requirements)
  • Organisation of 1 national training in Thailand for HEI researchers and staff on the operation of the new Centers

5 Administrative staff

Ms. Amornrat Sahapattanawana

Administrative Team

Roles: Dissemination, secretariat works, preparation of events, operations of the Hub, and other coordination

Ms. Chotima Witthayasirikul
Administrative Team
Roles: Dissemination, secretariat works, preparation of events, operations of the Hub, and other coordination

 Ms. Tiptida Matra
Administrative Team
Roles: Procurement of equipment

Ms. Kanphitcha Thanakulpisit
Administrative Team
Roles: Financial matters

 Mr. Sarawut Ruampanpong
Administrative
Roles: Procurement of IT equipment

1 Technical staff

Asst. Prof. Kris Sincharoenkul
Roles: Preparation and coordination of all equipment purchased

Summary of the work

What was done in one year of pilot implementation ; the launch event ; trainings ; proposals developed ; cooperations ‘ private sector etc.

  • National Training: 18-20 January 2023
  • Key outcomes: 3 days, 20 participants, evaluation score of 4.67, and 3 new proposal ideas developed.
  • Launch Event: 30 March 2023
  • Key outcomes: 50 participants, 2 mandates signed and networking activities
  • Networking activities:
  • 18 May 2023 Meeting with key faculty members of Faculty of Liberal Arts
  • 23 June 2023 Meeting with Phuket Tourist Association
  • 28 November 2023 Meeting with students for brainstorming sessions
  • 10 January 2024 Meeting with key industry partners
  • National Promotion Info Day 20 March 2024
  • 45 participants (40 faculty and university staff, and 5 industry representatives)
  • Monitoring visits by EU Partners: 25th November 2023 – 1st December 2023, and 8th – 13th December 2023
  • 4 Proposals Developed (3 with successful funding and 1 under consideration)

Number of national research proposals pursued

  • Non-degree program development and delivery for high value tourism sector (Funded by Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) in Thailand, valued of 1.2 Million THB
  • Examination of gastronomic tourism experience and future travel intentions in the context of community-based tourism in Phuket (Funded by Fundamental Fund, Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) in Thailand, valued of 0.3 million THB

Number of international research proposals pursued

  1. Innovative Curricula for Life-Long Learning of Sustainable Tourism Workforce (INNO4Tourism) (Successful funding from Erasmus+ Programme (ERASMUS) Capacity building in the field of higher education Strand
  2. Curriculum development for zero waste management in the hospitality and tourism sector (Submitted in 2024 to Erasmus+ Programme (ERASMUS) Capacity building in the field of higher education Strand 2)

Number of private sector actors engaged

  • Phuket Tourist Association
  • Thai Hotel Association (Southern Chapter)
  • 3 Key representatives from hotel and tourism sector in Phuket