The Cabinet has approved Science and Technology Minister Suvit Maesincee’s proposal for the setting up of a new ministry which will merge his ministry, the Office of Higher Education Commission, the Office of National Research Council and the Office of Thailand Research Fund under a new ministry to be named the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovations.

Minister Suvit said that the proposal was intended to effect bureaucratic reform with emphasis on cooperation between the private and government sectors and civil society in revamping various regulations pertaining to innovations and budgeting system with priority to be attached to the research field.

The new ministry will be divided into four work groups:  policies on research, funding or research funding; transformation of the Science Ministry into an institute of research and innovations; research on social science and humanities and university affairs.

The new ministry will build connectivity between higher education, science and innovations from policy level to operational level in order to improve Thailand’s competitiveness toward the 21^st century.

In the next step, the minister said that a national policy committee on higher education, science and innovations to be headed by the prime minister will be set up.

He expected the National Legislative Assembly to take about two months to deliberate the bill to set up the new ministry and related regulations after which the new ministry will materialize.