On 27 May 2026, Mrs. Chachsaran Lertkiattiwong, Director of International Development Cooperation Division, Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), co-chaired the Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting for the Research Management and Capacity Building Project at the Department of Higher Education (DHE), Ministry of Education and Sports, Vientiane, Lao PDR, together with Dr. Khamkeo Hansana, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Higher Education (DHE), Ministry of Education and Sports of the Lao PDR. The meeting included representatives from the Science Technology and Innovation Policy Institute (STIPI), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, as well as relevant officials attended the meeting.      

The meeting was conducted to review the achievements and summarize the outcomes of the project implementation, as well as to deliberate future academic cooperation between the two countries. The cooperation aimed to enhance the scientific research management and empower the workforce within the Department of Higher Education, under the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Lao PDR. Moreover, it sought to provide necessary knowledge and skills to create and contribute to the development of science, research, and innovation in the Lao PDR.  

The Research Management and Capacity Building Project was an initiative project under the 2023 – 2025 Thailand–Lao PDR Development Cooperation Programme in the sector of education and sports, aimed to enhance the scientific research management system and strengthen human resource capacities under higher education institutions in the Lao PDR.