Pattaya, Thailand – August 21st, 2026 – The Secretariat of the Senate, through its Academic Bureau, organized the third session of the fiscal year 2026 project “Developing Capacity and Research Networks to Support the Senate’s Legislative Missions and Public Policy Formulation” at the Panorama Meeting Room of the Pattaya Discovery Beach Hotel in Chonburi Province.
The event, held from 9:00 a.m., was to build academic cooperation networks, link knowledge and research findings to practical use in law consideration, and develop evidence-based policy recommendations for the Senate. Approximately 80 participants attended, including senators, speakers, representatives from government agencies, higher education institutions, and the public sector.
Senator Chib Jitniyom, in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strengthening, Driving, and Monitoring Research and Development Operations, presided over the opening. He was joined by Adirek Un-osot, Deputy Governor of Chonburi Province, and Kaewket Thawornphan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Senate.
In his opening remarks, Senator Chib spoke to the Senate’s multifaceted roles in scrutinizing legislation, monitoring and overseeing public administration, and approving individuals as mandated by the Constitution and laws. He stressed that these responsibilities require accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date empirical knowledge and research to ensure policy decisions deliver maximum benefit to the nation and its people.
He further discussed the importance of forging networks among the Senate, educational institutions, government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and researchers. Such partnerships enable the exchange of knowledge, gathering of diverse perspectives, and development of concrete proposals that can effectively support the Senate’s work.
Deputy Governor Adirek Un-osot welcomed participants and expressed Chonburi’s pleasure at being selected as the host venue. He noted that the gathering provided a valuable opportunity to connect academia, government, the public, and various networks, allowing them to share on-the-ground data and facts so that policy recommendations would be relevant, contextually appropriate, and responsive to citizens’ needs.
Deputy Secretary-General Kaewket Thawornphan stated that the project seeks to develop and strengthen academic and research cooperation networks across all regions, promote the collection, synthesis, and exchange of knowledge, and advance the use of research findings and empirical data in formulating policy proposals.
The program featured knowledge-sharing sessions and presentations of research from educational institutions, followed by focus-group seminars on three key areas: social issues, economic issues, and politics, governance, and public participation. Participants jointly analyzed issues and synthesized policy recommendations.
Research topics presented included sustainable elevation of community-based tourism rooted in Buddhist cultural ways of life in Chonburi, surveys of the value of e-commerce in Thailand, strategies for preventing cybercrime targeting the elderly, and approaches to help older persons adapt to digital society.
The “Mobile Research” initiative thus served not only as a platform for academic presentations but also as an open space for various sectors to reflect local realities and challenges.
