Y. Yuthavong


THAILAND

 Three outstanding reasons for Thailand's active interest in biotechnol-
ogy are: (1) it is a fertile country with a vast pool of unused natural biore-
sources, (2) for a developing country of her size, Thailand has a relatively
large number of qualified personnel for biotechnological research and de-
velopment, and (3) it has a relatively sound economic status so as to ensure
returns in judiciously chosen biotechnology investments. Development of
biotechnology in Thailand can be viewed in a historical perspective as
arising naturally from the growth of both supply and demand sides of the
technology. From the supply side, the last two decades in particular have
seen a remarkable growth and maturity of basic life sciences in Thailand,
linked with the emergence of a critical mass of scientists trained in devel-
oped countries and the establishment of research-based graduate schools.
The latter development has been responsible for the presence of substantial
endogenous research capability. From the demand side, problems in agri-
culture and rapidly expanding agro-industry, health and the environment
have made it necessary to utilize biotechnology at various levels of com-
plexity. Adequate linkage is, however, still presently lacking between the
supply side, mainly located in the university sector, and the demand side,
mainly located in the private and the government sector. This lack of link-
age still has to be remedied, through government policy and other mea-
sures to encourage the utilization of endogenous resources for research,
development, and technology transfer.
 The infrastructure for biotechnology in Thailand has been reviewed
(Yuthavong et al., 1984). Presently, Thailand has approximately 60,000
scientists and engineers with degree-level education. Of these, it has been
estimated that the number of scientists and engineers, at M.Sc. level and
above, active in R&D biotechnology is approximately 400. There are ap-
proximately 20 institutions, mainly in universities, engaged in R&D in
biotechnology. Most of these are in the Bangkok metropolitan area. At
least five universities are offering courses and training at graduate or un-
dergraduate levels in biotechnology. Although the present strength is still
rather low, it is likely to grow rapidly. One factor that has helped in
strengthening biotechnology in Thailand is the establishment of the Na-
tional Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in 1983. The
Center formulates policy and plans on biotechnology, supports R&D activ-
ities in designated institutions and serves to link the institutions with the
private sector. Presently, the Center has four affiliated laboratories and
R&D projects in eight institutions. On-going projects range from various
aspects of plant tissue culture, animal embryo technology, genetic engi-