Thai – UK Higher Education Partnerships Report
In 2018, the Thai-UK Higher Education Partnerships (Thai-UK HEP) programme was developed in partnership with the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation or OPS (formerly known as the Office of Higher Education Commission).
The programme was designed in alignment with Thailand’s National Policy to respond to education priorities with a focus on the country’s economic and social development. The aim was to equip academic and staff at all levels to meet industry demands and enable internationalisation of the education environment.
Thai-UK partnership projects candidates are selected from the eligible criteria that were previously funded by the British Council’s Transnational Education (TNE) Development programme and Newton Fund. The institutions selected from Thailand and the UK were broadly emphasised on academic focus and research focus. The project aimed to develop fresh partnerships and networks between different Thai-UK partners in the programme.
The two-year HEP programme comprised three workshops in Thailand, two visits to the UK, public dissemination, and a funding scheme called HEP Grants. The programme was divided into two phases. Phase one was a workshop for academics on the topic of Internationalising Higher Education (IHE), which focused on ‘Academic Partnerships’, followed by a UK visit. Phase two comprised a second workshop and a visit to the UK focusing on ‘University-Industry Partnerships’. The third workshop, on ‘Leadership Capacity Building’, was designed specifically for international project officers. The programme succeeded in building on these two existing TNE links and extending four research partnerships under the Newton Fund Institutions Links, which has increased the level of engagement with the industrial sector and boosted social benefits. Universities and industries learned to collaborate in order to translate research findings into practices which improve economic outcomes and quality of life.
