Eindhoven: Professor Shane is undertaking a mission in Belgium and the Netherlands as part of an exchange program with Thai students. He promotes a vision to transform Thailand from a "buyer" to a "creator" of innovation and aims to attract Thai professionals abroad to help drive the country forward. During his mission to the Netherlands and Belgium from June 13-20, 2026, to seek cooperation in science and technology, Professor Dr. Yotsanun Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), met and exchanged knowledge with a group of Thai students and professionals in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in a warm and friendly atmosphere. He discussed the new direction of national development, focusing on creating deep knowledge and technology (Deep Tech) instead of solely importing technology, coupled with upgrading existing industries to adapt to the aging population structure.

According to Thai News Agency, regarding the issue of technology and innovation development, Professor Dr. Yoschanan pointed out a past weakness where Thailand often solved problems solely through procurement, hindering sustainable learning and development. He emphasized the new strategy as follows: "Previously, we often bought all the technology and implemented it in Thailand. We got the equipment, but we didn't get the knowledge behind it. If the equipment broke down or became outdated, we couldn't do anything about it; we had to keep sending people for repairs. So now we've changed our approach. We're talking to the embassies and Thai student networks in each country, asking them to let us know if they see any good technology or innovations. We'll see if Thailand can implement them. If we can, we'll try it. But if we can't, we'll point them out, and we'll import some of the technology to learn from and then expand on it, or perhaps even send our people to study there to ensure sustainable knowledge."

Furthermore, the limitations of domestic infrastructure that may deter Thai students from pursuing studies in advanced technology were discussed. Professor Dr. Yoschanan proposed the idea of using international cooperation to overcome these limitations. "I've seen people want to study robotics but are afraid that if they return to Thailand, there won't be any supporting infrastructure, and they won't be able to do anything. So they switch to software instead. I think that's half right and half wrong. The truth is, if we want to do something, we can do it right away. We should view the whole world as our ecosystem. If Thailand doesn't have the tools, that's okay. We can use what's called Science Diplomacy to help. Whatever we want to test, whatever we want to do, whatever we want to produce, we just need to find out where in the world it can be done. And that's the power of us stopping the view that Thailand has boundaries or fences that limit us."

Regarding research by Thai academics, Professor Dr. Yoschanan stated that the current issue is that Thai people are trying to conduct research or write papers based on literature reviews. This makes it very difficult to become a leader because the work is often created by unknown individuals, and we don't know what problem the original thinker was trying to solve. It doesn't address the problems facing our country at all. We're not prioritizing problems within our own community to attract global help. Therefore, we are encouraging Thai people to continue living abroad, but to contribute by conducting research to solve problems in Southeast Asia or those currently facing our country. Then, we should use that research to attract talented individuals from around the world to help find solutions.

Regarding attracting investment to further develop the economy, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation stated that producing high-quality research is key to making global investors come to us on their own, without relying on connections. "I believe that if we can publish high-quality research today, it will be a very powerful weapon. For example, let's say I don't have the social capital, but I want to meet talented people or the biggest companies to collaborate with me. My weapon would be publishing good work. Because when they read it and see the potential, they will contact me themselves. Therefore, whenever we can prove that our idea has a buyer, that our idea is marketable, through publication in leading global journals, investors and those who are ready will come running to us."

In conclusion, Professor Dr. Yoschanan offered words of encouragement to Thai students and professionals studying abroad, and pledged continued efforts to lay the foundation for technology in order to prepare them all to return and contribute to the country's development. "I would like to emphasize that I, along with my team, will do my best to improve our country. We are trying to lay the foundation so that we can stand proudly once again, knowing that Thais can create new things, no matter where they are. We expect to see tangible results from this foundation within the next two to three years, and in the fourth year, we will begin to see the impact of Thailand having its own technologies and innovations. Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to come back and help our country."