The Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (ScII) and Business Online Public Company Limited (BOL) have partnered to collaborate on joint research and business projects, with BOL also providing scholarships and donating equipment to the ScII Robotics Lab.
BOL President and CEO Director and Executive Chairman Jack Min Intanate signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ScII Executive Director Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai on February 2, 2022. The company recently announced it would donate robotics equipment to ScII and begin offering scholarships to students.
BOL will help establish a Robotics Lab at ScII premises in addition to making a THB 500,000 donation to procure additional lab equipment. Additionally, BOL will provide two partial scholarships for talented international students to study at ScII for a total of THB 1,768,000 to cover tuition fees for a four-year period.
Dr. Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, Vice President for Strategic Planning, Innovation and Global Engagement at Chulalongkorn University, stated that the two partners would focus on joint research and on funding potential business projects. In addition to working on establishing a scholarship program for ScII students, BOL will support students through internships and training. “As Thailand’s leading university, Chulalongkorn University aims to become a model institute of education, setting the standard as a university of innovations for society and focusing on three social development core principles: preparing future leaders, developing impactful research and innovation, and advocating social sustainability,” Dr. Natcha added.
Prof. Worsak stated that ScII’s Bachelor’s in Arts and Science in Integrated Innovation (BAScii) program was possibly the first of its kind in Asia to offer a transdisciplinary platform for talented students, encompassing engineering, science, entrepreneurship, liberal arts, and social science. ScII will thus play a significant role in Chulalongkorn University’s digital transformation, allowing it to play a vital role in society by developing a cohesive digital ecosystem.
Prof. Worsak mentioned that the partnership with BOL has already been activated by a jointly conducted project proposal for the Revenue Department of the Kingdom of Thailand led by ScII faculty member Dr. Poomjai Nacaskul.
BOL CEO Executive Chairman Jack Min Intanate stressed the importance of emerging technologies and emphasized the need to engage young people to research and explore these technologies for the benefit of society. Motivated by this desire, CEO Mr. Min confirmed that the company is donating laboratory and robotics equipment to ScII. The company will also help establish a laboratory with robotics equipment at ScII. BOL also announced the creation of a scholarship program,to be known as BOL4BAScii, which will provide ScII students with the opportunity to study and work closely with BOL.
Dr. Pietro Borsano, ScII Deputy Executive Director (Industrial and Global Alliances), who hosted the event, mentioned that the agreement signing would trigger the broadening of a research and development network with leading national and international academic institutions, higher education organizations, and corporations, starting with a joint project to establish an internationally qualified ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) score and certification for Thai SMEs, to promote their role as part of the international supply chain.