Board of Trustees Meeting
26 November 2007
Paper 1.3
Report from AIT President
The Executive Committee at its 5 November 2007 meeting took note of the “Report of the
President” covering some of the activities and initiatives undertaken by the Institute during
the August to October 2007 period. The President stressed the need for AIT to start preparing
and positioning itself not only for the coming few years but also from a longer 20 to 25 year
perspective. He added that in order to succeed in the changing environment, multiple
strategic initiatives need to be launched based on the changing needs of the region,
globalization of education / research and competition for attracting talented students and
research funding. The President reported that over the past two years, AIT has launched an
array of initiatives in this direction that will further strengthen the Institute’s position and
ability to more effectively impart its mission and objectives. The combined efforts of the AIT
community has started bearing positive results as evidenced from the encouraging financial
results of the past nine months of 2007, which is a most significant achievement when
compared to the financial performance of the Institute in 2004 and 2005.
The President also highlighted the need for AIT to actively pursue ways in which it can better
enhance its presence in the region and added that the development of branches or centers in
the region in partnership with the national governments has strategic relevance for AIT and
focus on specific knowledge areas that capitalize on the strengths of AIT and of the partner
institution, and support initiatives by the partner governments. To this end the proposal for
the establishment of an AIT Center in Pakistan is currently being finalized, and there are
standing invitations from the government and AIT alumni to also open AIT Centers in
countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. AIT is also expanding its geographical
coverage with collaborations in Afghanistan, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle-east etc.
The President reaffirmed that the overall priorities of the administration has been within the
areas of cost control, financial performance of the Institute, research capacity development
with respect to both AIT and the region, development of internal structures to better support a
flexible environment, strengthening of the quality of both administration processes and
education / research outcomes, and launching of new entrepreneurial initiatives in addition to
activities aiming at strengthening the fund raising to the ensure long-term financial stability
of AIT. In concluding, the President noted that under a new AIT Charter that is attuned to the
changing needs of the region and higher learning, AIT would be in a much stronger position
to impart its mandate of human resources and capacity building, together with its other
international partners, and expressed full confidence in seeing a completely strong and
reinvigorated AIT.
The following comments and suggestions were made by members:
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Request for a clearer indication on the concrete outcomes of the President’s overseas
missions aside from meetings with government officials and discussion on the charter and
future strategies.
In the travel reports of the President there seems to be relatively little interaction with the
private sector, which are important revenue sources especially when it comes to core
funding for research laboratories.
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There was a clarification sought on the strategy for AIT to distinguish itself from national
universities operating more as a network type of university.
The President explained that the major parts of the travels are upon the invitation of the
partner countries or institutions, and alumni to discuss specific partnerships. They help in
image building and in several instances are financially supported by the partner government /
institutions. Some of the visits are made upon the request of the schools, faculty, and research
groupings and are essential for face-to-face discussions and negotiations with the partners in
finalizing or concretizing certain agreements and collaborations.
With regard to the private sector collaboration, the President acknowledged the need for
increased efforts in this direction and for it to be in a more structured manner. He added that
the major partnerships with the private sector have been approached through the extensive
and strong alumni networks.
On the strategy for AIT to operate as a network university, the President explained that given
AIT’s strong presence in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, there is potential for AIT to attract
and enter into strategic partnerships with institutions from Europe and other parts of the
world, which are willing and interested to work in the region. Along this line, all new
programs that are being designed are encouraged to be developed in partnership with one or
two institutions abroad and also in the region. Since AIT has limited resources to invest in
funding advanced laboratories students would also have access to the advanced laboratories
and facilities of the partner institutions.
Note:
A more extensive report highlighting some of the concrete outcomes of the President’s visits
abroad has been prepared and is provided as attachment. Detailed reporting on the
President’s travel outcomes are also provided in the President’s weekly newsletter but will
from now on be made more explicit through a summary report for purposes of the Executive
Committee and Board of Trustees.
AIT President’s Promotional Trips
Highlights of Specific Outcomes
1. Background
During the 5 November 2007 meeting of the Executive Committee, under the
discussion on the “Report of the AIT President” there was a request put forward for a
clearer indication on the specific or concrete outcomes of the President’s overseas
missions.
In follow up to the meeting, a more extensive report highlighting some of the concrete
outcomes of the President’s visits abroad has been prepared and is listed below. In
submitting the report, the President wishes to make it very clear at the outset that the
outcomes reported, are a result of a series of processes and involves a lot of hard
work, commitment and efforts on the part of faculty, staff, and administration with
strong support provided by the Institute’s partners. The intention in submitting the
report is not for the President to take credit of the achievements and outcomes but to
try and draw up a more specific listing of some of the activities undertaken and
concrete outcomes of the organization as whole.
Detailed reporting on the President’s travel outcomes are also provided in the
President’s weekly newsletter but will from now on be made more explicit through a
summary report for purposes of the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees.
The major part of the President’s promotional trips are upon the invitation of partner
countries or institutions, and alumni to discuss specific partnerships. They help in
image building and in several instances are financially supported by the partner
government / institutions. Some of the visits are made upon the request of the schools,
faculty, and research groupings and are essential for face-to-face discussions and
negotiations with the partners in finalizing or concretizing agreements and
collaborations.
2. Specific Outcomes of Promotional Trips (Since assuming the
Presidency of AIT on 1 July 2005)
Vietnam (several visits starting in September 2005)
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Visits to AIT Center in Vietnam (AITCV).
Participate in meetings of the Council of Advisors Meetings.
Discussion on new AIT Charter and Strategic Development Plan with the
government.
Meeting with partner institutions, private sector, different Chambers of Commerce
and Embassies.
Participated in the launching of the Professional Doctorate Program (DBA) in Ho
Chi Minh City.
Signed a MoU between AIT and PetroVietnam. Under the partnership AIT will be
launching a Professional Masters of Engineering in Project Management in
Construction (MPM).
China (September 2005 and June 2006)
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Discussion on new AIT Charter and Strategic Development Plan with the
government.
Meeting with the Minister of Science and Technology for discussion on the
establishment of joint research centers and increase in support to AIT. AIT has
recently signed a MoU wherein the Government of China will provide 10 full
scholarships to Chinese national to pursue their doctoral studies at AIT.
Visit to and discussion with the newly appointed student recruitment agent.
Meeting with a number of Chinese institutions to discuss the possible
establishment of an AIT Center in China in the future.
Attended the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the China Scholarship Council
(CSC) and met with partner institutions.
Singapore (September 2005)
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Discussed partnership opportunities with the Lee Foundation, National University
of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and also met with the alumni.
Indonesia (Several trips starting in October 2005)
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Participated in the meetings of the AIT Center in Indonesia Steering Committee;
42nd SEAMEO Council Conference and 2nd ASEAN Education Ministers (met
with the Ministers of Education from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore and Vietnam); ASEAN Forum 2007 on the theme “Rethinking ASEAN,
Towards ASEAN Community 2015” and 2006 Global Meeting of the Emerging
Markets Forum among others.
Meetings with relevant government officials, institutions to discuss new AIT
Center, Strategic Development Plan and establishment of an AIT Center in
Bandung, under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works, which was formally
established on 28 June 2006.
Participated in the signing ceremony of i) AIT-Universitas Gadja Mada (UGM)
general MoU ii) AIT-UGM MoA for dual master’s degree in Transportation
Engineering (the first batch of students have already started their program at
UGM) and iii) AIT Center in Indonesia (AITCI)-School of Engineering and
Technology internal agreement. There was a press conference in connection to the
event and interview by the state TV channel of Indonesia TVRI. The AIT
delegation also made presentations at the AIT day seminar held at UGM.
The Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Public Works and Ministry
of Education has agreed to provide 26 scholarships for the AIT-AIT Center in
Indonesia-Universitas Gadja Mada (UGM), dual degree program in
Transportation Engineering.
Presented concept paper on how AIT together with UNITAR could serve as a
partner and facilitator in ASEAN identified areas of cooperation to the ASEAN
Secretary General.
Meeting with ASEAN Foundation. The Foundation has recently awarded 10 full
scholarships to AIT.
Korea (October 2005)
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Meetings with Vice Minister of Science & Technology, KOICA, KOWACO, KWater, KIST and several other institutions and alumni. Discussion on new AIT
Charter and Strategic Development Plan and partnership opportunities.
The Korean Government has made a donation of an additional US$ 500,000 to the
existing Korean Endowment Fund at AIT.
Signing of agreement with K-Water with whom AIT has now established an
internship program and several AIT students have already taken part in it.
Japan (December 2005, August 2007 and October 2007. The last two visits were fully
funded by the Government of Japan)
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Participated in high-level meetings and forums in Japan which provided important
platforms for discussion on AIT Charter, Strategic Development Plan as well as to
present AIT and prospects for strengthening partnerships. Meetings included those
with officials from Tohoku University (Tohoku University Centenary
Celebrations), University of Tokyo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, JAXA,
JICA, and Council for Science and Technology Policy etc. and also with several
former AIT Japanese seconded faculty members.
Signing of collaborative agreement with Tokyo Institute of Technology; meetings
with President of the University of Tokyo (UT) regarding AIT’s formal
engagement in the Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) and the Integrated
Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S); Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
discuss new AIT Charter; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for
discussion on continuation of support to AIT and in the ongoing and planned
projects; Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) regarding the possibility
of AIT hosting students and projects related to Africa; and the Council for Science
and Technology Policy for discussion on AIT’s new strategies and directions;
Participated as speaker in the 3rd Asian Science and Technology Forum (ASTF);
University Presidents’ Breakfast Meeting (co-chaired by Professor Hiroshi
Komiyama, President of the University of Tokyo, and Professor Susan Hockfield,
President of MIT, on the theme “Universities and Society); and the 4th Annual
Meeting Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum.
Meetings with National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
(will invite Ph.D. students from AIT to conduct part of their research work at their
laboratories); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (partnership in their
Asian CORE Program, which will open up opportunities for collaboration with
Japanese researchers, through the establishment of sustainable collaborative
relations among research / education institutions in Japan and other Asian
countries. Under the program, these “core institutions” will collaborate in cuttingedge fields of research and on research topics deemed to be of high international
importance).
Taiwan (December 2005 and November 2006)
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Met with the Chairman and senior officials of the Council for Economic Planning
and Development, Bureau of International Cooperation for Culture and Education,
Ministry of Education etc. and discussed revitalization of AIT’s Taiwan’s support
to AIT. Also presented AIT’s proposed new Charter and Strategic Development
Plan.
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After a long gap relations with Taiwan have now been re-established. Taiwan now
supports the Institute through faculty secondments, and students from Taiwan are
also currently pursuing their doctoral studies at AIT. The cooperation is further
expand into the future.
Participated in the President’s Forum of Southeast Asia and Taiwan Universities;
and held meetings with alumni and Chai Nan University of Science and
Pharmacy.
France and Belgium (January 2006. All expenses related to the visit were funded by
the AIT-French Cooperation)
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Meeting with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for discussion on new
Charter, Institute Strategic Development Plan. Also met with UNESCO, and other
partners and related agencies etc.
Meeting at the European Commission to discuss new Charter, Strategic
Development Plan and future strategies.
Sri Lanka (February and July 2006)
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Meetings with Ministers of Education, Science & Technology, Public Health and
Home Affairs, Urban Development and Water Supply, and high-level officials
from other related ministries, agencies and universities. Presentation of new AIT
Charter and Strategic Development Plan.
Negotiated the conditions of proposal for the establishment of an AIT Center in
Sri Lanka which was approved by the Executive Committee.
Launched the DBA (Professional Doctorate Program) in partnership with the
Ceylinco Consolidated Group of Companies.
Signed MoU with Sri Lankan Airlines International Aviation Academic for shortterm training.
Turkmenistan (March 2006)
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Participated in the Interstate Sustainable Development Commission of Central
Asia (ISDC), at the invitation of the Minister of Nature Protection of
Turkmenistan.
Discussed AIT’s new strategies and plans to expand AIT’s domain to the Central
Asian countries.
India (March 2006, February 2007, April 2007 and May 2007)
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Participated as Chief Guest at the 42nd Annual Convocation of Shivaji University.
Discussed and finalized the agreement on the unified bachelors and masters
program with Singhania University.
Signed a partnership agreement with the Pearl Business School (multinational
apparel company which has started a new business school) and also participated in
the launch of the Professional Doctorate Program (DBA) in India.
Finalized the MoU with Speck Systems Limited (SSL) as part of which SSL will
sponsor 2 of its employees for their masters study at AIT.
Meetings with IIT Delhi and alumni.
Azerbaijan (March 2006 and March 2007. All costs related to the visit were
supported by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan)
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Met with the Minister of ICT and several high-level officials from the
government, agencies, private sector etc. Presented new AIT Charter and Strategic
Development Plan. AIT has signed a MoU with Azerbaijan for capacity building
of the ministry.
The Ministry has also submitted a “Capacity Building for ICT in Azerbaijan”
proposal to ADB in which AIT and ITC Netherlands are the implementing
partners.
Chaired a session at the BakuTel 2006 which was important for networking
purposes.
Second visit was with Mr. Nico Barito, Senior Fellow, UNITAR (also member of
AIT’s Institute-level Advisory Board and Member of the AIT Center in Indonesia
Steering Committee) to meet with relevant government ministries and agencies,
private sector representatives, and other partners, in exploring opportunities for
collaboration in training and related capacity building programs which AIT and
UNITAR could undertake in partnership with other stakeholders.
Azerbaijan Technical University has agreed to host an introductory seminar for
AIT and UNITAR to meet and interact with representatives from the private
sector in identifying areas in which there could be mutually beneficial
partnerships. ATU will assist in all the related logistics and arrangements with
funding for the introductory seminar to be supported by UNITAR.
Russia (April 2006)
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Meetings with President of Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics; senior
officials of the Ministry of Science & Education; Moscow State University,
Moscow Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, and Moscow Aviation Institute.
Discussed new Charter, Strategic Development Plan and areas in which there
could be partnerships.
Finland (May 2006)
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Met with officials from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Nokia Research Center;
Helsinki University of Technology; University of Helsinki. Also had an
opportunity to present AIT’s new Charter, Strategic Development Plan and future
strategies and directions.
Philippines (August 2006 and November 2006)
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Met with the ADB President and senior officials and made a presentation at ADB
on the “Role of Science and technology for Development: An AIT Perspective”.
Was accompanied on this trip by Ambassador Hiroshi Ota, Member of the
Executive Committee. Discussion on new AIT Charter and Strategic Development
Plan with ADB, alumni and other partners.
A follow-up visit was arranged by AIT trustee H.E Mr. Antonio Rodgriguez,
Ambassador of Philippines in order to re-establish linkages to the Philippines and
also discuss some of AIT’s new strategies and directions with the Commission on
Higher Education, Department of Science and Technology, National Economic
and Development Authority.
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Subsequent to the AIT has been invited and will submit a proposal to the
Department of Science and Technology towards supporting nationals from the
Philippines for their studies at AIT which is expected to be finalized by the end of
the year.
Kuwait (September 2006)
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Met with the Ministry of Education, and Kuwait Institute of Research and Institute
of Science. Presented AIT’s new Charter, Strategic Development Plan as well
discussion on areas in which there could be specific collaborations.
AIT also submitted a proposal on scholarships for Kuwaiti nationals to study at
AIT and for faculty secondments.
Kuwait will be invited as the first Middle East country to AIT’s new Charter when
it opens up for accession.
Pakistan (November 2006 and April 2007)
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Meetings with Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other
high-level officials. Presented new AIT Charter, Strategic Development Plan and
discussed areas in which there could be collaboration.
Held consultations on the establishment of AIT Center in Pakistan which is being
finalized and has been endorsed by the Executive Committee.
Negotiated a reduction in the Institute fellowships under the HEC partnership with
AIT from 50% to 20%. Also finalized increase in bursary from 250 to 500 US
Dollars per month for masters students and from 300 to 600 US Dollars per month
for doctoral studies.
HEC has sent 11 scholars for their masters studies and more recently in August
2007, 34 scholars funded by HEC to the newly agreed masters leading to Ph.D.
program at AIT.
Signed MoUs with the Lahore College for Women University and HEC.
Myanmar (February 2007)
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Meetings with the Minister of Science and Technology, Deputy Minister of
Commerce, Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Yangon
Technological University and Mandalay Technological University.
Also discussed private sector partnerships with the Myanmar Chamber of
Commerce. Presented new AIT Charter, Strategic Development Plan and
discussed areas in which there could be collaboration. Also held discussions with
the Myanmar Engineering Society on partnership in regional and international
conferences, seminars and internships.
Participated in the AIT Day Seminar organized by the AIT Alumni Chapter in
Myanmar and Student Recruitment Agent.
Nepal (April 2007 and August 2007. All the local hospitality costs for the August
2007 visit were borne by Kathmandu University)
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Meetings with Ministers of Foreign Affairs; Education; Environment, Science and
Technology; Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission; Vice Chairman of the
High-Level Commission on ICT (HLCIT) etc. Presented new AIT Charter,
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Strategic Development Plan and discussed areas in which there could be
collaboration.
Delivered an address at the national stakeholders workshop on “Modernization of
Nepal through the Development of ICT and E-Governance” organized by ADB
and HLCIT.
AIT was interviewed by “The Rising Nepal” and “The Himalayan” newspapers.
Chief Guest at the 13th convocation ceremony of Kathmandu University and
participated in the AIT Day Seminar organized by the alumni.
Consultations with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) Secretary General who assured AIT that as soon as it attains
intergovernmental status, it could be considered as an implementing arm for the
attainment of SAARC development goals in the region, and could also apply for
observer status.
Afghanistan (June 2007)
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Was accompanied by Ambassador Yoon Jee-joon (former Ambassador of Korea
to Thailand as well as Pakistan / Afghanistan) and also former Senior Advisor to
President. Held meetings with Ambassador of Korea, World Bank and Ministry of
Higher Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Works,
Ministry of Energy and Water, Ministry of Urban Development and Planning,
KOICA, USAID, Swedish Embassy etc. Presented new AIT Charter, Strategic
Development Plan and discussed areas in which there could be collaboration.
As a follow up to the visit, AIT has submitted a technical and financial proposal
for the University Partnership Program for Balkh University Faculty of
Engineering to the Ministry of Higher Education of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan, which has a budget for approximately 1.9 million US dollars and
would be for a period of 2.5 years.
Netherlands (June 2007)
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Met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Rector and Director of UNESCO-IHE;
Director of the Partnership for Water Education and Research (PoWER) Rector of
the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) etc. Presented new AIT Charter,
Strategic Development Plan and discussed areas in which there could be
collaboration.
Attended symposium on “Water for the Changing World: Enhancing Local
Knowledge” on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of
UNESCO-IHE on 15 June. A MoU between AIT and UNESCO-IHE was signed
for collaboration in areas of water education, research, capacity building and
training, staff and faculty exchange, partnership building, and dual degree
programmes.
Sweden (August 2007)
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Met with Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) /
SAREC officials and presented the new AIT Charter, Strategic Development Plan
and discussed areas in which there could be collaboration.
Also met with other government officials and related partners such as the Swedish
Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) – considering AIT as a platform for
promoting the further development of innovative systems in the Asian region;
Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) – proposing AIT as a platform for
technological knowledge transfer for FOI in the region with support from Sida;
Chalmers University of Technology – discussion on AIT as an associate member
of the Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) initiative - partnership between
four of the world's leading science and technology universities namely, the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH); Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT); University of Tokyo; and Chalmers; also participated in the
University College of Borås celebrations – shared AIT’s experiences in the
implementation of professional programs developed jointly in partnership with the
private sector.
Report of the President
Executive Committee Meeting
5 November 2007
(Period covering August 2007 to October 2007)
The last report covering the March-July 2007 period was presented at the 6 August 2007
meeting of the Executive Committee and 6 September 2007 meeting
of the Board of Trustees respectively
October 2007
Report of the President
October 2007
Period Covering August 2007 – October 2007
Contents
Topic
Page No.
1.
Introduction
2.
International Status of AIT - Draft New Charter
3.
Financial Overview
4.
Highlights of Initiatives and Activities
4-40
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4-18
18-30
30-35
35-37
37-40
Promotional Trips by President
Key Partnerships / New Initiatives
Some of the Key Events
Recognitions by AIT Faculty, Staff, Students and Alumni
Other News
5. Conclusion
Annex I: Reports from the Vice Presidents on Activities and Initiatives
Annex II: Record of Meetings and Special Events
2-3
3
3-4
40-44
1. Introduction
This report provides a synthesis of some of the activities and initiatives undertaken by the
Institute during the August to October 2007 period. The last report covering the MarchJuly 2007 period was presented at the 6 August 2007 meeting of the Executive
Committee and 6 September 2007 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Members of the AIT Community, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, alumni as
well as other friends and partners of AIT partners have been kept regularly updated on the
Institute’s activities and initiatives through my weekly letter.
Reports from the Vice Presidents (annexed to this report) as well as those from the
School Deans, Director AIT Extension, Director AIT Center in Vietnam, and Director
AIT Center in Indonesia provides further detailed information on the various activities
and initiatives that have been taken during the reporting period (refer to Paper 7.1).
1. International Status of and New AIT Charter
The Board of Trustees at its special meeting convened on 6 September 2007, approved in
principle the AIT Charter, and it was subsequently agreed that a clean revised text of the
AIT Charter, incorporating the additional comments and suggestions made at the meeting
would be provided to members. Members would then be provided with two weeks i.e.
until 20 September 2007, to provide their confirmation as to whether the further updated
AIT Charter adequately incorporates the discussions at the meeting.
Following the deadline for submission on 20 September 2007, a total of 27 formal written
responses were received from the Trustees, endorsing the text of the AIT Charter. Some
of the Trustees who were not able to respond informed AIT that they have sent back the
revised Charter to their respective home governments and were still waiting for the
feedback. In some cases trustees indicated their informal endorsement while waiting to
receive the formal feedback. Since the majority of the trustees, in fact more than the twothirds required by Institute bye-laws, were in agreement and endorsed the latest version of
the AIT Charter, it was decided upon by the Chairman of the Board, to submit it to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, as the Board approved final version, for their
further consideration.
An AIT delegation headed by the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Tej Bunnag, and which
included the two Vice Chairpersons of the Board, H.E. Mrs. Merete Fjeld Brattested,
Ambassador of Norway and Dr. Jean-Pierre A Verbiest, ADB Country Director for
Thailand, and myself, paid a visit to Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, on 11 October 2007.
The AIT delegation was able to provide a detailed briefing on the AIT Charter. The
Ministry is fully supportive and assured AIT that it would expedite the process wherein
the goal of AIT attaining international status could be achieved at the earliest. The
Ministry will soon be making a formal communication to AIT’s current partner countries
and international entities as well as founding member countries currently not in the
Board, namely UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand, explaining the process and
timeframe to be followed, and subsequently host a meeting, at which the Charter is
expected to be formally adopted.
Work on the new AIT Charter was initiated under the helm of H.E. Mr. Anand
Panyarachun, former Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees back in 2004. It has been a
very long process involving extensive review by the Executive Committee and Board of
Trustees of AIT, as well as several consultations between trustees and their respective
home governments. We are most grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, for
the advice, support and guidance which it has extended to AIT throughout the process.
I would like to take this opportunity to express on behalf of AIT, our appreciation and
gratitude to all our partners for their continued and strong support to the Institute, and to
our Board Chairman, for the instrumental role he has played in the entire process.
We are confident that under a new Charter that is attuned to the changing needs of the
region and higher learning, AIT will be in a much stronger position to impart its mandate
of human resources and capacity building, together with its other international partners.
(for further details refer to Paper 2.1)
2. Financial Overview
I am greatly encouraged by the financial results that we have achieved so far in the year.
As you may recall, at the beginning of the year the financial performance looked far less
promising for the Institute with all Schools reporting lower-than-expected tuition
revenues for the January 2007 semester. The appreciation of the Thai Baht coupled with
lower number of enrollments projected by Schools for the August semester led us to
believe that we were going to end the year with a net surplus of 4 million Baht, which
was significantly lower than the originally budgeted 30 million Baht net surplus.
As we braced ourselves for more financial hardships for the rest of the year, the good
news started to flow in. During the August 2007 semester, SET turned in a strong
financial performance with a significant increase in the student enrolment numbers as
well as pay factor and quality of students while SOM and SERD enrolments were only
slightly lower. Mainly due to the adverse impact of the exchange rate our gross tuition
revenue was lower only by 5% compared to that of last year.
Our combined efforts have started bearing positive results as evidenced from the
encouraging financial results of the past nine months of 2007. At the end of September
2007 the net surplus of our core operating fund (Fund 10) stands at 176 million Baht
which is roughly 80 million Baht higher than the previous year (95 million Baht). The
other operating fund of the Institute, namely, Fund 21 has also reported a strong financial
performance in comparison to that of last year, with an increase in the net surplus by 18
million Baht (from 189 to 222 million Baht).
This is indeed a most significant achievement when compared to the financial
performance of the Institute in 2004 and 2005. To recapitulate, our operating losses in
Fund 10, for years 2004 and 2005, Baht 86 and Baht 128 million respectively, almost
wiped out the entire reserves of the Institute. Over the past two years, through various
tough but much needed measures we were able to turn the tide, and ended year 2006 with
a net surplus of approximately 12 million Baht.
We have journeyed through 9 months of our 2007 financial year already and achieved
significantly improved results despite difficult circumstances and hope to achieve a much
more improved year-end result for 2007. From the perspective of the budget for the whole
of 2007, we have been slightly weaker on the income side but much stronger and
disciplined when it comes to cost control and expenditures. The major revenues for 2007
have already come in so we do not expect any significant increases in the revenue stream
for the remaining two months.
Therefore, our emphasis and efforts must be towards continuing the excellent progress we
have made in controlling the costs. For the first time in many years we can now start
setting aside budget and planning for much needed strategic investments and initiatives
(For further details refer to Paper 3.2)
4. Highlights of Initiatives and Activities
4.1 Promotional Trips

ASEAN Forum 2007: On 7 August 2007, I took part in the ASEAN Forum 2007
on the theme “Rethinking ASEAN, Towards ASEAN Community 2015”, held at the
ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of
the Republic of Indonesia delivered the keynote speech. The ASEAN Secretary
General; Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation; Minister of ICT and
Commerce of Indonesia; UN Special Ambassador for the Millennium
Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific; leading companies and NGO
representatives participated in the Forum. The sessions included presentations and
discussions by the Minister of Trade, Indonesia; Professor Philip Kotler, Kellog
Business School; Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation and also panel
discussion on business and society partnerships.
The focus of the meeting was on how to further develop ASEAN from an
organization to a community, engaging people at various levels and different
forms. The Forum provided an excellent platform to network and there are a
number of areas of relevance in which AIT could partner the ASEAN.

Meeting with Ministry of Education, Indonesia: On 8 August, I met with Dr. Ir.
Gatot Hari Priowirjanto Head Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation,
Ministry of National Education to finalize the discussion regarding the
involvement of AIT in the new scholarship scheme launched by the Government
of Indonesia. Dr. Gatot offered to introduce and promote AIT within this concept
and framework to Indonesian universities and personally pay visits to universities
in Surabaya and Malang in East Java. The Ministry of Education plans to send
more that 20 students to the joint masters program in transportation engineering
which will be conducted by AIT-CI in collaboration with the Gajah Madah
University (UGM).

Visit to Sweden (15-22 August 2007): Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems
(Vinnova): I met with Dr. Sven-Gunnar, Edlund, Director and Head of Innovation
Actors Division; along with Mrs. Marit Werner, Project Manager; and Mr. LarsGunnar Larsson, Programme Director, both also from the Innovation Actors
Division. AIT is participating in the Sida and Vinnova organized workshop on
”Putting Ideas to Work-Strategies for Innovation-led Sustainable Growth” – the
first part of which will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, 19 November-14
December, 2007, with a regional seminar to place in Bangkok in 2008. The
Stockholm workshop is aimed at promoting the further development of innovative
systems in the Asian region. Mrs. Werner has been working closely with us on
this initiative. Vice President for Research, Professor S. K. Rakshit and Dr.
Barbara Igel, from the School of Management, will represent AIT at the first
round of the VINNOVA program for Asia in Sweden in Nov-Dec 2007. During
my visit I also met with the Dr. Lena Gustaffson, the new Vice President of FOI
who is a former colleague of mine from Chalmers.
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Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida): I met
with Mr. Berit Olssen, Head of SAREC (Sida’s Department for Research
Cooperation); Mr. Johan Sundberg, Senior Program Specialist, Department for
Natural Resources and the Environment of Sida; Dr. Tomas Kjellqvist, Deputy
Head of SAREC; and Mr. Jan Bjerninger, Assistant Director General and
Director of the Department for Natural Resources and the Environment. I was
able to update Sida on the recent developments at AIT and also to seek their
support in some of the new initiatives being launched by SERD. As part of
their strategic alignment Sida will into the future be focusing on a fewer areas
such as energy, environment, climate change, water related areas, and also in
inter-related areas such as energy vis-à-vis climate change etc. Sida is very
much in favour of strengthening collaborations between Swedish research
groups / institutions and AIT and strongly encourage efforts in this direction
such as through sandwich type of programs. Sida has also offered to assist and
support AIT’s planned initiatives in Africa by linking AIT to Sida initiatives
and projects in Africa through arrangements of meetings at AIT between AIT
and some of Sida’s partner institutions in Africa.
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Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI): I met with Mrs. Madelene
Sandström, Director General of FOI; along with Dr. Matts Gustavsson, Head
of Department, Defence & Security, Systems and Technology; and Dr. Eva
Dalberg, Senior Scientist Department of Applied Marine Research, Division
of Systems Technology. FOI is very keen and interested to work with AIT
wherein AIT could serve as a platform for technological knowledge transfer
for FOI in the region with support from Sida. FOI is initially proposing
collaboration in areas such as underwater technology, telecommunications,
advanced IT for industrial applications, and possibly remote sensing also. FOI
will in the near future be providing AIT with more detailed information on the
areas supported by Sida based on which AIT and FOI could then jointly
develop proposals for Sida funding. There are also good prospects for AIT and
FOI to conduct short courses in the region. Under this partnership researchers
would have access to FOI laboratories for the development and adaptation of
existing advanced technologies to suit the needs of the region. Eventually AIT
and FOI could also jointly conduct projects for the private sector in the region.
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Chalmers University of Technology: I met with Professor Karin Markides,
Rector of Chalmers and Professor Gregory Morrison, who is the Chalmers
Coordinator for the Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) initiative
http://globalsustainability.org/ AGS is a unique, international partnership
between four of the world's leading science and technology universities
namely, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); University of Tokyo; and
Chalmers, with the aim of pursuing research and development within complex
global issues, focusing on environmental science and sustainable development.
Created in 1997, the AGS today brings together hundreds of university
scientists, engineers, and social scientists to address the complex issues that lie
at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social goals. I have
expressed AIT’s keen interest in becoming a partner of the alliance which is
currently chaired by Professor Markides (on a rotational basis among the
partners). Professor Morrison will discuss this further with the other partners
and provide us with their feedback.
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
University College of Borås: As former Rector of Borås I was invited and I
participated in the 30th anniversary celebrations of the University. Borås has
presented its application to the Ministry of Education to be upgraded to the
first Swedish university of professions. Many industry representatives were
also invited to the event and they were greatly impressed by AIT’s experiences
in the implementation of professional programs developed jointly in
partnership with the private sector which I was able to share with them.
Outcomes of Visit to Japan, 25-29 August 2007: I had a very fruitful visit to
Japan with high-level meetings with officials from Tohoku University, University
of Tokyo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, JAXA, JICA, and Council for
Science and Technology Policy among other. I also had an occasion to meet with
several of our former Japanese seconded faculty members. H.E. Mr. Hideaki
Kobayashi, Ambassador of Japan, and the Embassy helped in facilitating many of
the important meetings. Some of the outcomes are highlighted below:
Tohoku University Centenary Celebrations, 25-27 August: My visit to Tohoku
University (TU) was coordinated and supported by former Japanese seconded
faculty Professor Tatsuo Omura, who is affiliated with the Department of Civil
Engineering at TU. I had a joint meeting with the following former Japanese
seconded faculty members from TU, namely; Professor Kiyohiro Ikeda, Associate
Professor Makoto Hisada, Professor Hitoshi Tanaka, Associate Professor So
Kazama, Professor Hideaki Harada (from the Graduate School of Engineering,
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering); Professor Akira Mano,
Professor Fumihiko Imamura (from the Graduate School of Engineering, The
Disaster Control Research Centre), and Professor Hajime Imamura (Graduate
School of Information Sciences, Department of Human-Social Information
Sciences).
The former Japanese faculty colleagues are all very keen in supporting AIT and in
being more involved in joint activities with AIT such as through two-stage
masters programs in various fields. The Disaster Control Research Centre is
particularly interested in actively engaging and partnering with AIT in the masters
program in disaster, preparedness mitigation and management. They would also
like to explore the possibility of establishing a regional center of excellence based
at AIT in disaster control research in partnership with AIT.
I also paid a courtesy call on Professor Osamu Hashimoto, Vice President
(Student International Exchange, University Evaluation) of TU, together with
Professor Omura. Vice President Hashimoto has offered to extend his full support
in the initiatives that were discussed with TU.
During my participation in the Tohoku Centenary Celebrations I also had an
opportunity to meet with several other partners and was able to discuss various
other partnerships as listed below:
Stockholm University: Professor Kåre Bremer, Vice Chancellor of
Stockholm University http://www.su.se/otherlanguages/ Vice Chancellor
Bremer informed me of the creation of their new “Stockholm Resilience
Centre” http://www.su.se/pub/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=4409 which is an
international cross-disciplinary research centre that focuses on the governance
of social-ecological systems. The Centre has received 205 million Swedish
kronors from The Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research
(MISTRA) for research in this area.
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The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH): Professor Ramon Wyss, Vice
President of The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) who is interested to
collaborate with AIT in Pakistan. KTH is also planning to open a center in
Pakistan and we will be communicating with Professor Wyss about our
proposed new center in Pakistan and ways in which there could be partnership
and synergies.
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University of Sydney: Professor Masud Behnia, Dean of Graduate Studies,
University of Sydney has invited AIT’s masters students to continue their
doctoral studies at the University of Sydney and offered to help facilitate the
process.
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Yeungnam University, Korea: Professor Woo Tong Ki, President of
Yeungnam University, an AIT alumnus, and Professor Dong Joo Lee, Director
of the Center for International Programs, who have expressed interest in
partnering with AIT through the two-stage and unified masters programs.
I also met with former AIT President, Professor Jean-Louis Armand.
Professor Omura and Dr. Manabu Fujii (Research Fellow of the Water Quality
Group at TU) hosted me during my stay in Tohoku and facilitated many of the
meetings and arrangements.
Tokyo, 28-29 August 2007: I met with Professor Hiroshi Komiyama, President of
the University of Tokyo (UT) and discussed two major issues aside from updating
him on some of the ongoing activities between AIT and UT. They were regarding
AIT’s formal engagement in the Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS)
http://globalsustainability.org/ and the Integrated Research System for
Sustainability Science (IR3S) http://www.ir3s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index_e.html
initiatives. IR3S is an alliance comprised of the University of Tokyo, Kyoto
University, Osaka University, Hokkaido University, Ibaraki University and other
universities and research institutes, supported by the Special Coordination Funds
for Promoting Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
President Komiyama has kindly offered to discuss with the other partner
universities, AIT’s expression of interest in the engagement of both the AGS and
IR3S initiatives. I have also discussed this with Professor Gregory Morrison, who
is the Chalmers Coordinator for the AGS.
Professor Shinichiro Ohgaki (Former Dean of the Graduate School of
Engineering, University of Tokyo who currently represents the President of the
University of Tokyo as Vice Chairman on the AIT Board of Trustees), Professor
Y. Fujino, Professor Mari Osawa, Professor Keisuke Hanaki, Professor Kato
Shinsuke and Associate Professor Ooka Ryoza from the UT also joined me in my
meeting with the President of UT and also hosted a dinner for me.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan: On 28 August, I met with Mr. Mitsuru
Myochin, Principal Deputy Director, First Country Assistance Planning Bureau,
International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan and Ms.
Michiko Nakano, also from the same division and was able to discuss the draft
AIT Charter. I was informed that the Ministry is agreeable in principle to the
contents of the draft AIT Charter. However, they are keen that the legal
formulations be made more precise and were working with their legal department
and would provide AIT with their feedback.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): On the same day, I met with Dr.
Keijii Tachikawa, President of JAXA, Executive Directors Dr. Yasushi Horikawa
and Mr. Kiyoshi Higuchi, as well as Associate Executive Director Mr. Hideshi
Kozawa, Planning Manager Mr. Chu Ishida, Special Staff (Disaster Management)
Mr. Yoko Inomata, Associate Administrator Mr. Maki Yoshihara and Associate
Senior Engineer Mr. Toshiro Takanami. I updated JAXA on some of the ongoing
projects by the RS&GIS field of study as well the GIS Applications Center. I also
requested for their continued support in our ongoing and planned projects such as
the Quazi-Zenith Satellite System (QSZZ) for the region, Wide Band Inter
Networking Engineering Test and Demonstration Satellite (WINDS), reestablishment of NASDA research grants as JAXA research fellowships,
collaboration in the field of disaster mitigation, continuous support through
dispatch of faculty and researchers to AIT. There is a new organizational structure
in place within JAXA since July 2007, with the establishment of a new Space
Cooperation Office for the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): Later in the same day, I met
with Mr. Hasegawa Toshihisa, Team Director, Regional Department, Southeast
Asia; Mr. Kano Rintaro also from the same department and Mr. Ueda Daisuke,
Senior Program Office, Human Development Department (Technical and Higher
Education), JICA Office http://www.jica.go.jp/ I had an opportunity to brief the
JICA officials on some of our ongoing activities and initiatives. JICA is very
positive towards AIT’s new strategies and directions and is going support the
increased role of AIT in regional projects in Southeast Asia. JICA will also look
into the possibility of AIT hosting students and projects related to Africa.
Meeting with Ambassador Hiroshi Ota: On 28 August, I also met with
Ambassador Hiroshi Ota, member of the AIT Executive Committee, and was able
to update him on the recent developments at AIT and on the draft AIT Charter.
Council for Science and Technology Policy: On 29 August, I met with Dr. Taizo
Yakushiji, who is a Member of Council for Science and Technology Policy
(CSTP), Cabinet Office http://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/index.html The CSTP
was set up in the Cabinet Office as one of the four policy councils on key policy
fields at the reorganization of government ministries and agencies that took place
in January 2001. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Council serves as
the headquarters for the promotion of S&T policy; it overlooks all of the nation’s
S&T, formulates comprehensive and basic policies, and conducts their overall
coordination. Dr. Yakusjiji, who is a full-time Executive Member of the CSTP
and a Visiting Professor at Keio University, was impressed by the important
regional role of AIT and is very supportive and has offered to help further
promote AIT within the Government of Japan. I have extended an invitation to Dr.
Yakushiji to visit AIT and to also deliver one of the graduation addresses.
Dr. Yoshifumi Yasuoka, former Japanese seconded faculty from the University of
Tokyo, who has recently been appointed as the Executive Director, National
Institute for Environmental Studies and Professor Ohgaki helped facilitate this
important meeting. AIT faculty member Professor Michiro Kusanagi, from the
Remote Sensing & GIS field of study, SET accompanied me during my mission to
Japan.

Promotional Visit to Indonesia, 10-12 September: On 10 September, I met
with Dr. Ir. Gatot Hari Priowirjanto, Head, Bureau of Planning and International
Cooperation, Ministry of National Education, and received the Ministry’s formal
acceptance of the tuition and fee rates as proposed by AIT for the 2-stage masters
program. There are a large number of scholarships available for such 2-stage
programs under which 1 year would be spent at an Indonesian university and 1
year at a foreign university. The Ministry is keen on partnering AIT through this
initiative and the External Relations & Communications Office (ERCO) has been
assigned to actively approach and invite universities in Indonesia to partner AIT
under this scheme.
On 11 September, I took part in a signing ceremony which was held at the
Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and was witnessed by H.E. Dr. Ir. Djoko
Kirmanto Minister of Public Works. Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Dean
School of Engineering and Technology (SET), Dr. Kunnawee Kanitpon, Field
Coordinator of TRE / SET and Mr. Kyaw Soe Hlaing, Coordinator-Promotions
and Alumni Relations, ERCO also participated in the event. The following three
documents were signed i) AIT-Universitas Gadja Mada (UGM) general MoU ii)
AIT-UGM MoA for dual master’s degree in Transportation Engineering (the first
batch of students have already started their program at UGM) and iii) AIT Center
in Indonesia (AITCI)-SET internal agreement. There was a press conference in
connection to the event and we were also interviewed by the state TV channel of
Indonesia TVRI.
During the event I also had an opportunity to formally hand over AIT’s expression
of interest to partner the Ministry in the upcoming deep tunnel project as well
submitted the proposal to receive support from the Ministry for the further
strengthening of the AITCI.
On 10 September, Professor Worsak and members of the AIT delegation visited
the AITCI Office, audio visual theatre, English language laboratory, PC computer
laboratory, research laboratories and classrooms. The AIT delegation met with Dr.
Sugimin Pranoto, AITCI Director and AITCI team and discussed the
implementation of the AITCI-SET internal agreement and also ways in which
communications between AIT and AITCI could be strengthened.
On 12 September, the AIT delegation accompanied by Dr. Sugimin; Ir. Achjar
Riadi, AITCI Deputy Director-Academic and Development; and Ir. Yaya
Supriyatna, Head of Competency and Curriculum Professionalism, visited the
UGM Rector’s Office and met with UGM officials. The AIT delegation made
presentations at the AIT day seminar held at UGM which was attended by over 50
participants. The AIT delegation made presentations on AIT and its academic
programs as well as about AITCI and its offerings.

Outcomes of Visit to Vietnam: On 21 September, I together with Professor Vilas
Wuwongse, Vice President, External Relations; Professor C. Visvanathan, Dr.
Nitin Afzulpurkar, and Dr. Do Ba Khang, took part in the AIT Center in Vietnam
(AITCV) Council of Advisors Meeting, which was chaired by H.E. Professor Tran
Van Nhung, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET).
Issues discussed at the meeting were the AITCV Strategic Plan for 2006-2010,
which is a very progressive and forward looking plan. The financial forecast of
AITCV for 2007 looks very promising and we expect to end the year in a surplus.
Other items discussed at the meeting were a number of new concepts on how to
support the capacity building plans of MOET for Vietnamese universities such as
the AIT International University (AITU), Doctoral Development Project with the
Government of Vietnam, AIT Preparatory Academy, In-Service Faculty
Development and Developing Academic Leadership. Under the concept of the
AITU, the Government of Vietnam has agreed to explore together with AIT the
possibility of developing academic programs at all levels; bachelor, master and
doctoral degrees (all in English) in order to meet the increasing demand of
Vietnam for high quality human resources. MOET has a five-year plan to train
2000 doctoral level faculty, and MOET have suggested that AIT take on the
responsibility of educating a number of doctoral students soon. This is a unique
opportunity for AIT to strengthen the partnership with MOET and to support the
future of higher education in Vietnam in a very positive manner.
During my visit I also signed a MoU between AIT and PetroVietnam. Under the
partnership we will be launching a Professional Masters of Engineering in Project
Management in Construction (MPM). I would like to commend Dr. BHW
Hadikusumo and colleagues in SET for this excellent initiative.
AIT will soon be starting the process of recruitment of a full-time Director for
AITCV, since Dr. Sweirczek, who is currently serving as Interim Director, will be
completing his term at the end of 2007. Dr. Sweirczek has made excellent
contributions to the AITCV, initiating various new innovative programs, and both
AIT and AITCV will continue to engage Dr. Sweirczek in various ways into the
future.

Outcomes of Visit to Nepal: I travelled to Nepal during 15-18 September, 2007,
accompanied by Mrs. Naina Shakya, Coordinator-Partner Relations &
Development, External Relations & Communications Office (ERCO). Highlights
of the events and meetings in which we participated are provided below:
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Kathmandu University (KU) Graduation Ceremony: I took part as the
Guest Speaker at the 13th convocation ceremony of KU held on 17 September
on the occasion of which 1,211 graduates received their degrees. Out of the
total number of graduates, 38% were female students and 24% were foreign
students from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, Lebanon, Norway, Pakistan,
Sweden, Sri Lanka and UK. Degrees offered were for the completion of
bachelor, masters and doctoral degree programs. H.E. Mr. Pradeep Nepal,
Minister of Education, also participated in the KU Graduation Ceremony. The
Minister mentioned that he and his Ministry support the idea of an
establishment of the AIT Center in Nepal, and also wish to see Nepal as one of
the first signatories to the new AIT Charter, which they fully support.
I met with Professor Suresh Sharma, Vice Chancellor, KU Professor Bhadra
Man Tuladhar, Registrar, KU, Professor Subash KC, Dean of KU School of
Management (KUSOM), and Dr. Bhola Thapa, Acting Dean of School of
Engineering, and discussed ways in which AIT and KU could foster
collaborations. The School of Management and School of Engineering of KU
would like to jointly collaborate with the SOM and SET in the form of joint or
dual degree programs. Several modules of collaboration were discussed and
the possibilities for conducting joint courses partly in KU and in AIT were
also explored. KU and AIT are also keen on further motivating students to
conduct their research work in Nepal in order to better address the needs of the
country. Since students from Nepal may face some difficulty in paying the
tuition fees of AIT, KU has also offered to look into the possibility of seeking
funds from the private sector and donor agencies.
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‘AIT Day’ Seminar: On 16 September, an ‘AIT Day’ seminar was organized
in Kathmandu which was attended by more than 172 prospective students. We
were able to provide presentations on AIT and there was an opportunity for
the participants to interact with the AIT representatives and the AIT Alumni
Association (AITAA)-Nepal Chapter members. Promotion for the ‘AIT Day’
seminar event was carried out through newspaper advertisements, TV
commercials and the popular FM radio.
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AITAA-Nepal Dinner Reception: On 15 September, the AITAA-Nepal
Chapter hosted a dinner which was attended by about 35 of our alumni.
Majority of the AITAA-Nepal members hold influential positions in
government, academe, industry, as well as IGOs and NGOs, and they support
and are assisting in the establishment of an AIT Center in Nepal.
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Highlights of Other Meetings: Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperatives
(MOAC): We met with Mr. Dal Ran Pradhan, Secretary, Ministry of
Agriculture & Cooperatives (MOAC), Dr. Nanda Prasad Shrestha, Executive
Director, Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and Mr. Bhola Man
Singh Basnet, Chief Communication, Publication & Documentation Division,
NARC. The MOAC areas of interest include: agro-tourism, water
management, livelihood, environment issues and disaster management.
MOAC shared with AIT a recent report entitled “Policies, Strategies &
Implementation Plan for Human Resources Development & Management in
the Agricultural Sector in Nepal,” where the need for human resources
development has been identified. AIT will review the recent report and
identify areas where AIT could contribute through training programs.
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National Planning Commission (NPC): During our meeting with the
Honourable Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel, Vice Chairman, NPC, he
mentioned that the Government of Nepal is seriously interested in the
establishment of an AIT Center in Nepal. However, he stressed that it is
important to be clear on the modalities for the Center and that he has already
discussed this matter with the Ministry of Education. Under the proposal, the
Government of Nepal will provide the infrastructure needed for the Center,
with the expertise coming from AIT, and investments to be sought from the
donor agencies and private sector in Nepal.
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University Grants Commission: We met with Dr. Kamal Krishna, Chairman,
University Grants Commission, who expressed strong support for the AIT
Center in Nepal concept and noted that courses offered in the Center should
also be focused inn areas where people from the region come to study such as
in geotechnical engineering in the higher mountains. The Chairman is also a
member of the task force working on the establishment of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) University, and will put
forward AIT’s proposal to act as a postgraduate engineering arm for the
proposed SAARC University.
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Local Development Training Academy: In our meeting with Mr. Babu Ram
Shrestha, Executive Director, Local Development Training Academy (LDTA),
who is also an AIT alumnus, we have agreed to develop a joint proposal with
LDTA and AIT Extension for capacity building activities and to approach
prospective donors for support. It was proposed that LDTA and AIT jointly
conduct diploma and certificate programs as modules which could be further
developed into a masters degree program. LDTA would like to hold a
workshop at AIT with the objective of coming up with a proposal for joint
proposals to approach donor agencies and to discuss modules for the proposed
masters degree program.
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Nepal Academy of Science & Technology (NAST): We met Professor Hom
Nath Bhattarai, Vice-Chancellor, NAST, who expressed interest in
collaborating with AIT in the field of biotechnology. He plans to visit AIT in
October 2007, to discuss further concrete collaboration with AIT.
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Tribhuvan University (TU): We met with Professor Madhav Sharma, Vice
Chancellor, TU, who supports the idea of an AIT Center in Nepal, and
indicated that the role of the Center should be to complement the national
universities like TU. TU and AIT has a MoU which the Vice Chancellor
would like to see activated through the implementation of concrete programs.
TU and AIT could work on several possible areas for research and exchange
of faculty members and students in the near future.
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Modern Nepal College: We met with Mr. Kiran Dongol, Vice Chairman,
Faculty of Management, Modern Nepal College, who is also an AIT alumnus.
Modern Nepal College will look into the possibility of sending students who
have completed their bachelor degree program to AIT. AIT will also look into
the possibility of providing a certain number of credit fellowships if Modern
Nepal is able to confirm a certain number of students to AIT on a regular
basis.
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Swedish Consulate: We met with Mr. Gajendra B. Shrestha, Honorary
Consul General for Sweden, who was very supportive to the concept of an
AIT Center in Nepal, with an agenda to serve the needs of Nepal as well as the
region through higher education. He has also offered to seek Swedish support
for the proposed AIT Center in Nepal. During the same occasion I also met
with the Honorary Consul’s brother Professor Pramod Bahadur Shrestha, who
has agreed to give a seminar at AIT on consultancy services for international
entities.

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SNV Netherlands Development Organization, Nepal: We met with Mrs.
Moushumi Shrestha, Quality Control Officer, SNV / Nepal. SNV / Nepal is
working at the grass root level in close partnerships with local NGOs. The
areas of focus are biogas, water supply management and sanitation, livelihood
activities as well as productivity and employability - areas in which there
could be collaboration with AIT.
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European Union, Delegation of the European Commission to Nepal: We
met with Dr. Giap Dang, Cooperation Coordinator, European Union. Dr. Dang
is also a former faculty member who worked at AIT for almost 14 years and is
a strong supporter and well wisher of the Institute. Dr. Dang mentioned that
one potential area for AIT to explore would be joint research projects or
programs with ICIMOD / Nepal as the EU has recently funded Euro 10
million to ICIMOD / Nepal. This concept could also be expanded to proposals
coming from ministries and other government agencies in which AIT could be
identified as the implementing arm.
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Mr. Rajendra K. Khetan, Honorary Consul – Republic of Portugal: We
met with Mr. Khetan, who is also an industrialist and owner of various leading
companies in Nepal and Senate member of Kathmandu University. Mr.
Khetan mentioned that AIT could take on a vital role in providing skill
trainings through vocational training programs either as a polytechnic institute
or through the AIT Center in Nepal. Mr. Khetan indicated that by 2012, Nepal
would need about 500,000 skilled people in various public and private sector
organizations, and that AIT could play an important role in this context. Mr.
Khetan supported and expressed keen interest in the proposed AIT Center.
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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): We met with
H.E. Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji, Secretary General, SAARC. H.E. Dorji served
as a member of the AIT Board of Trustees of AIT during his tenure as
Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand, and is strong supporter ad well wisher of
AIT. As soon as AIT attains intergovernmental status, AIT could be
considered as an implementing arm for the attainment of SAARC
development goals in the region, and could also apply for observer status as an
international institute. H.E. Dorji expressed his full support to the activities of
AIT as well as the establishment of the AIT Center in Nepal, and we will also
be pursuing a MoU between AIT and SAARC.
Outcomes of Visit to Japan: I had a most fruitful visit to Japan, and both the
events in Tokyo and Kyoto, provided an excellent opportunity to highlight the
important work being done by AIT in the region, as well as showcase many of the
innovative approaches to higher learning and research, that we have been
embarking on. Some of the highlights are provided below:
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National Institute of Information and Communications Technology: On
October 4, I met with Professor Dr. Hideo Miyahara, the new President of the
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NiCT).
NiCT has been a strong supporter of AIT partnering us in various R&D
collaborative programs since 1998. During my visit to NiCT, I had the honor
to present a certificate of appreciation from AIT to President Miyahara and
NiCT for their contribution to the capacity development needs in the region
through AIT. I also met with Dr. Shigo Ohmori, Vice President of NiCT, who
has played a most instrumental role in the collaboration with AIT. Professor
Kazi Ahmed, of SET, and his field of study colleagues have played a key role
in the development of this important partnership.
NiCT has new plans for the next semester, wherein, they would like to invite
Ph.D. students from AIT to conduct part of their research work at the NiCT
laboratories. NiCT has over the years provided a number of scholarships to
AIT through the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology
Agency. I have also requested for the continued support of NiCT through the
provision of lecturers, scholarships, and equipment to AIT. NiCT officials
from Japan will be coming to Bangkok for the 5 year anniversary celebrations
of their Center in Bangkok, on the occasion of which, we have also invited
them to visit AIT.
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Meeting with Ambassador Hiroshi Ota: The same day I also met with
Ambassador Hiroshi Ota, Member of the AIT Executive Committee, and was
able to update him on some of the recent developments at AIT. I have invited
Ambassador Ota, to deliver a lecture at AIT, sharing some of his experiences
on international relations and diplomatic history. Ambassador Ota also serves
as Professor (international relations, diplomatic history) at Kinki University
and is Director at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies.
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AST Forum “Challenges for Science and Technology in Achieving
Sustainable Development in Asia”, Tokyo: On October 5, I delivered a
lecture addressing Asian energy and environmental issues and AIT’s
experiences on the role of regional cooperation, at the 3rd Asian Science and
Technology Forum (ASTF) which took place in Tokyo from 4-5 October
2007. The opening remarks were delivered by Professor Koichi Kitazawa,
President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
I am happy and honored to report that the forum officially recognized the
importance of AIT as a regional institute at the conclusion part of this
important forum. The Chairman of the session I participated in Mr. Makoto
Taniguchi (President, Iwate Prefectural University, former Ambassador to the
United Nations, and former OECD Deputy Secretary General) stressed upon
the role which could AIT could play in the context of the recommendations
made at the forum.
One of the recommendations was to establish an “Asian R&D Innovation
Center for Sustainable Development” as a possible part of a future Sustainable
Asia Research Organization. The forum also recognized that the advancement
of multilateral joint research with Asian countries is a vital part of efforts to
address the environmental and energy issues that the region faces. We will
actively work with these ideas in close interaction with Japan Science and
Technology Agency (JST), the organizer of the forum. The other two
important areas in which AIT can partner JST are as follows:
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JST has plans to create centers of excellence in the region, and AIT could
with its experience and networks, partner JST, in this initiative, through
the setting up of joint collaborative centers.
AIT could partner JST in the implementation of environmentally friendly
technology in the region, as well in the development of Asia-launched
global standards (safety and environmental standards, industrial standards.
etc.) that consider standards in the region, which was one of the
recommendations made at the forum.
Mr. Fumiaki Takahashi, Executive Director, JST (former Japanese
Ambassador to Cambodia), who also visited AIT in August of this year, also
attended the event, and is a strong supporter of AIT.
During the forum, I also met with Dr. Hiroyuki Abe, Counsellor to the
President, JST, and Professor Emeritus at Tohoku University.
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Other Important Contacts at ASTF: During the ASTF event I had an
opportunity to interact and meet with the following persons:
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European Commission: I met with Dr. Aires Soares, Head of Unit,
Energy Horizontal Aspects and Coordination, Directorate-General for
Research; and Dr. Jacques M. Sant’ Ana Calazans, Head of Division,
Cooperation with non-member countries, Directorate-General XIX –
Budget. We have discussed ways in which AIT’s collaboration with the
EC could be better structured, and development of strategic partnerships
between AIT and the EC vis-à-vis EC’s development goals in the region.
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DOST Philippines: I met with Dr. Graciano P. Yumul, Jr.; Undersecretary
for Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology
(DOST), Philippines, who informed me that DOST is planning a visit to
AIT, and considering allocation of scholarships to AIT. I have proposed
that such scholarships could be for both the regular and two-stage masters /
doctoral programs.
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CSRI India: I met with Dr. Naresh Kumar, Head, R&D Planning and HR
Division, who wishes to partner AIT through the signing of a MoU for the
training of CSRI staff members. Dr. Kumar is keen on visiting AIT during
which the agreement could be finalized.
University Presidents’ Breakfast Meeting: On 8 October, I participated as
one of the four speakers at the University Presidents’ Breakfast Meeting which
was co-chaired by Professor Hiroshi Komiyama, President of the University of
Tokyo, and Professor Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, on the theme
“Universities and Society”.
I had an opportunity to meet and interact with many presidents, and rectors,
and also discuss with Professor Komiyama, Professor Hockfield, and the
Chalmers President, Professor Karin Markides, AIT’s keen interest in
becoming an associate member of the Alliance for Global Sustainability
(AGS) initiative http://globalsustainability.org/ We will be following up on
this further with Professor Markides, who currently serves as Chair of the
AGS, presenting more details on some of the unique features and strengths of
AIT, and why it should be considered.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation, who is also the President of the University of
Cambodia, was also present at the breakfast meeting, and has assured us of
Cambodia’s support to AIT, and in enlisting as one of the first signatories to
the new AIT Charter.
I also met with Professor Tadeuz Luty, Rector of the Wroclaw University of
Technology, and President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools
in Poland. We have discussed the possibility of submitting joint proposals for
funding by the EC and also holding of one of the Polish rectors’ conference at
AIT.
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Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum, Kyoto: On 9 October, at
the invitation of H.E. Mr. Koji Omi, I took part as speaker in the 4th Annual
Meeting of the STS Forum which was held in Kyoto. This year’s STS Forum
was held from 7-9 October, with the participation of over 600 scientists, policy
makes, business executives and media leaders from 71 countries, regions and
international organization. The Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Yasuo Fukuda,
delivered the opening address, during which he stressed upon the need to
make the transition to a sustainable society through empowerment by science
and technology.
One of the important recommendations made by the Forum was that joint
research in developing countries should be encouraged with the participation
of researchers and scientists from developed countries. The statement also
noted that a portion of official development assistance (ODA) should be used
for this activity, to harness the human potential of developing countries in
addition to the financial power of developed countries. My presentation at the
forum was on “Collaboration between Universities, Research Institutes and
Industries” during which I had an opportunity to present AIT’s initiative in
this regard and also highlight some of our innovative professional oriented
programs. The Forum also made a statement on this aspect, stating that aside
from educating students, universities should also play an important role in
contributing to socio-economic development by promoting innovation through
business-academia-government collaboration.
I had an opportunity to meet and interact with H.E. Mr. Omi, on a few
occasions and brief him on the activities of AIT, partnership with Japan, and
also seek his support in some of our new strategies and directions. Following
my return to AIT, I have extended an official invitation to H.E. Mr. Omi to
visit AIT and to also deliver one of the graduation addresses.
Some of the other important contacts and interactions at the STS Forum
are as follows: Council for Science and Technology Policy: I had an
occasion to meet with Dr. Taizo Yakushiji, whom I had also met with during
my earlier visit to Japan in August of this year. Dr. Yakushiji is a Member of
Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP), Cabinet Office
http://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/index.html Under the leadership of the
Prime Minister, the Council serves as the headquarters for the promotion of
S&T policy; it overlooks all of the nation’s S&T, formulates comprehensive
and basic policies, and conducts their overall coordination.
I was able to provide Dr. Yakushiji with an update on some of our recent
activities and initiatives. He is aware of the important regional role of AIT and
is most supportive and has offered to help further promote AIT within the
Government of Japan. Following my return to AIT, I have extended an official
invitation to Dr. Yakushiji to visit AIT and to also deliver one of the
graduation addresses.
VINNOVA, Sweden: I met with Professor Per Eriksson, Director General of
VINNOVA (Swedish Government Agency for Innovation Systems), and was
able to update him on the ongoing collaboration between AIT and VINNOVA.
VINNOVA has recently been commissioned by the Swedish Government to
initiate an R&D collaboration with India for which the budget has already
been allocated and we will be exploring ways in which AIT could actively
partner with VINNOVA, given our many years of experience working with
Indian academic and research institutions.
Universitie Paris III, Sorbonne Nouevele: I was introduced to Professor
Bernard Bosredon, President of the Universitie Paris III, Sorbonne Nouevele,
by former AIT President, Professor Jean-Louis Armand, who also participated
in the STS Forum. I have extended an invitation for Professor Bosredon to
visit AIT.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: I met with Ms. Ayako
Maesawa, Head, Asian Program Division, International Program Department,
Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS), and discussed ways in which
there could be synergies through strategic partnerships, which we will be
following up on. One important area which we can partner JSPS is in their
Asian CORE Program, which will open up opportunities for collaboration
with Japanese researchers, through the establishment of sustainable
collaborative relations among research / education institutions in Japan and
other Asian countries. Under the program, these “core institutions” will
collaborate in cutting-edge fields of research and on research topics deemed to
be of high international importance.
At both, the STS and ASTF there was emphasis put on the need for a more active
role of Japan in Asia – moving from a “Japan and Asia” to “Japan in Asia”
approach. One of the efforts being taken by the Government of Japan in this
direction is towards the strengthening of science and technology cooperation with
developing countries, especially through the development of networks among
higher education and research institutions, that will form the bases for cooperation
aimed at joint research and human resources development.
In this context, AIT with its almost fifty years of international experience at the
service of the development of the region, its established brand name, its
international pool of experts in development and its strong networks of partners in
the region, can serve as an important platform or capacity development arm of the
Government of Japan, which has been actively engaged with AIT since 1969.
My visit to Japan was fully supported by the Japan Science and Technology
Agency (JST). There are a large number of areas through which AIT can enter
into strategic partnerships with JST, which we will be actively pursuing.
4.2 Key Partnerships / New Initiatives

United Arab Emirates University: Dr. Ahmed Murad, Chairman, Geology
Department, Faculty of Science, visited AIT on 2 August 2007 and discussed
possible cooperation between AIT and his university. AIT will be sending
concept papers on integrated bachelors-master's program, 2-stage master's
program, and professional programs to Dr. Murad's university for their
consideration. Dr. Murad offered to assist with linkages to the Islamic
Development Bank and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation,
which is a major initiative aimed at capacity building for Arab nationals and
promotion of human development by investing in education and the
development of knowledge in the region. The $10 billion Foundation will source
and manage research programmes and centres and provide scholarships,
leadership programmes and research grants.

Zhejiang Gongshang University, China: Professor Wang Guo-An, Vice
Rector of Zhejiang Gongshang University (ZJGSU), China whom I had met
during the Association of Universities in Asia Pacific (AUAP) conference
visited AIT on 2 August and made a presentation on Chinese Educational
System and Education Markets. Professor Wang presented some proposals for
collaboration and we have agreed to the following:
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AIT will promote ZJGSU’s Spoken English Promotional Project (SEPP)
under which ZJGSU will host faculty and students from AIT, covering all
related costs (except airfare) in the SEPP as teaching assistants.
For the participating faculty and students, ZJGSU will provide Chinese
culture and language / business courses.
ZJGSU will send faculty members to AIT on a secondment basis.
ZJGSU and AIT will sign a student exchange agreement.
AIT is also looking into the possibility of developing two-stage masters
programs, integrated bachelors and masters programs, as well as joint
professional masters and doctorate programs with ZJGSU.

Université Nice, France: On 3 August, I met with Dr. Philippe Gourbesville,
Dean, Faculty of Geographic Sciences, Unversité Nice Sophia Antipolis, France
along with Dr. Mukand S. Babel, who helped coordinate the visit. Dr.
Gourbesville is interested in establishing collaboration between AIT and the
Unversité Nice Sophia Antipolis, as well as the Polytechnic University of which
he has recently been appointed as Rector, through the development of joint
programs, student exchange etc. He has also offered to help AIT in becoming a
member of Hydro-Asia, which is a French Government supported intensive
research program within an academic framework, initiated by the Tropical
Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Incheon Regional
Environmental Technology Development Center, University of Incheon and the
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University. The objective of
Hydro-Asia is to promote, in a global Asian vision, the key concepts,
methodologies, tools and good practices which are essential for a sustainable
water management.
Dr. Gourbesville is also interested in jointly approaching the European
Commission together with AIT for possible support and funding of new
initiatives under the Erasmus Mundus programme. Dr. Gourbesville has a strong
private sector background with considerable knowledge and experience in the
development of professional programs and linkages to industry, and is very
much supportive of AIT’s efforts in this direction. He has also offered to
approach the Government of France in further increasing its support to AIT,
particularly in some of the initiatives outlined in the Institute’s Strategic
Development Plan.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and technology (MEXT),
Japan: On 3 August, H.E. Mr. Toshiei Mizuochi, Vice Minister, MEXT Japan,
along senior officials from MEXT, Director of the JAXA Office in Bangkok,
accompanied by officials from the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok visited AIT.
During the visit we were able to apprise the Vice Minister of some of the
ongoing activities, strategic development plan of the Institute, as well as the new
AIT Charter, and to seek the support of the Government of Japan in the new
strategies and directions of the Institute. The Vice Minister and delegation also
visited the Geo-informatics Center in SET.

Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science (CNU) and Cheng Shiu
University (CSU), Taiwan: On 9 August, a delegation from CNU comprising
Prof. J.S. Chang, Dean of Research & Development, Prof. J. M. Chen, Dean of
Student Affairs, Assoc. Prof. C.Y. Chang, Dept. of Environmental Engineering
& Science, Assist. Prof. Y.S. Peng, Director of International Cooperation
Division, Mr. S.R. Cheng, Dean of International Development Office, and
Prof. C.Y. Hsu, Head of Dept. Chemical and Material Engineering visited AIT.
We were informed by the CNU delegation that the AIT-CNU general MoU
(renewal) will be signed by the CNU President shortly upon his return from an
overseas trip. There are currently two CNU faculty members pursuing their
doctoral studies in SOM and two more CNU faculty members will be joining
SOM in the August 2007 intake.
AIT and CNU have agreed to jointly pursue a unified bachelor-master’s
program and the combined master’s and doctoral program initiatives, which will
be combined into one MoA. As a fast track, it was proposed that an AIT-CNU
dual master’s degree program could be considered, initially in the environmental
engineering field of study, which could later be expanded to include other areas.
AIT was invited to partner Taiwanese universities for which there is funding
available such as the National Science Council of Taiwan which provides funds
for foreign professors visit to Taiwan.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan: Mr. Naoki
Murata, Executive Director, JSPS accompanied by Mr. Kayuhito Oyamada,
Researcher, Office of Strategic Program, Asian Program Division, International
Program Department, and Dr. Kou Ikejima, Director, JSPS Bangkok Office
visited AIT on 9 August. The Executive Director, Mr. Murata informed AIT that
although he is new to JSPS he is familiar with AIT from his time as Deputy
Director General, Department of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). JSPS provides funds for
research and faculty exchange through Japanese universities and National
Science Funding Agencies abroad with whom JPSP has partnership agreements.
AIT was invited to apply for JSPS funding, which as a rule must be in
partnership with universities / institutions in Japan. In addition, MEXT also has
funds available for double degree program with Japanese universities.

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan: on 9 August, Mr.
Fumiaki Takahashi, Executive Director, JST (former Japanese Ambassador to
Cambodia) accompanied by Mr. Mitsuharu OTA, Director, Malaysia Office of
JST, Mr. Yuji KATO, Manager, Dept. of International Affairs, JST visited AIT.
JST, which was formerly known as the Japan Science and Technology
Corporation, has become an independent administrative institution since
October 2003. JST focuses on research in the promotion of business using
advanced technology. JST does not handle Japanese faculty / researcher
exchanges, which is under the responsibility of the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS). Application for research funding from JST should
is available and must come through Japanese partner universities / research
institutions. AIT is exploring partnership opportunities with counterpart
Japanese universities and institutions.

Partnership with Taiwan: On 10 August, H.E. Mr. Tu Cheng-Sheng, Minster
for Education, Taiwan accompanied by Prof. Tien-Rein Lee, President, Chinese
Culture University; Ms. Jessica Chin-Chueh Su, Dept of Physical Education;
Mr. Chung-Hsin Chang, Sr. Specialist, Dept. of Technological and Vocational
Education and Mr. James Chang, Executive Assistant to the Representative, and
Head of Cultural Division, Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Bangkok
visited AIT. I had an opportunity to brief the Minister and delegation about
AIT’s new initiatives, and in this context the Minister was keen on possibilities
for collaboration with the Taiwanese Ministry of Education’s global
collaboration plans for setting up sister Centers in partnership between AIT and
Taiwanese universities.

Partnership with Mongolia: HE. I. Erdenebaatar, Mongolian Minister of
Nature and Environment, accompanied by Mr. G. Engkhee, Director of
International Cooperation visited AIT on 10 August. The Minister was in
Bangkok in conjunction with a Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Health,
jointly organized by WHO and UNEP during 8-9 August, and the visit to AIT
was facilitated through the UNEP Regional Director, who is an AIT alumnus.
The Minister stressed upon the need for human resources and capacity
development needs in Mongolia and in the case of his own Ministry urgent
requirement for qualified professionals in the environmental field. We have
agreed to coordinate an AIT visit to Mongolia to conduct a needs assessment
which would be facilitated through UNEP. Based on the needs assessment AIT
and the Mongolian Government could then jointly develop a proposal and
approach potential funding / donor agencies. It was decided to start with 1
masters scholarship and 2 short courses through UNEP. The Minister has also
assured of the Government’s keen interest and support in enlisting as a signatory
to the new AIT Charter once it is finalized.

Collaboration with Deakin University, Australia: AIT has a partnership
agreement with Deakin University, Australia which is collaborating with the
International Center of Excellence in Water Resources Management
(ICEWarm), an Australian Government funded initiative. Discussions will soon
be taking place between our Water Engineering and Management Field of
Study and Deakin University on a dual degree masters program in Water
Resources Management. Under this program students would spend one year at
AIT and another at Deakin to obtain a dual degree with the financial support
from ICEWarm. The second offer is for the professional development of AIT
staff and faculty to visit the ICEWarm partner Universities for 5 to 8 weeks
to exchange teaching, ideas, experiences and research in the broader area of
water resources, which would also include technical study tours and
presentations from leading practitioners. Travel, accommodation, living
expenses, logistic and venue etc. will be provided by the Australian
Government.

Cooperation with Norwegian Hydropower Sector: Mr. Ragnar Soegaard who
was a former seconded faculty member from Norway and is currently the Senior
Vice President, E-CO Energi, visited AIT on 14 August. Mr. Soegaard has
together with Dr. Fredric William Swierczek, Director AIT Center in Vietnam,
developed a concept paper on “International Executive MBA, Vietnam with a
specialization in Energy Management” under which Mr. Soegaard is trying to
mobilize some scholarships from the Norwegian hydropower sector.

Partnership with Siam Cement Group, Thailand: The Management
Committee of Siam Cement Group (SCG) has agreed to the signing of an MOU
with AIT. The following areas of collaboration are being considered:
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SCG scholarships for existing / future SCG staff (including non-Thais) to
pursue masters and doctoral studies at AIT
SCG executive education at AIT - EMBA and Professional masters /
doctoral Programs
Customized training programs at AIT
Internships of AIT students at SCG
Joint AIT-SCG industrial research (for SCG R&D)

Partnership with P.T. Damba Intra, Indonesia: On 24 August, AIT signed a
‘Sustainable Development Partnership Initiative’ with P.T. Damba Intra (PTDI).
PTDI is a public private enterprise, founded under the partnership initiative with
the Government of West Java, Indonesia, and works in the areas of hazardous
waste treatment facility and communal waste for both liquid and solid disposal.
PTDI also serves as funding partner to UNITAR focus on capacity building
program for local governments and civil societies in the scope of responsible
fishery and mangrove preservation. The areas of cooperation are more closely
related to SERD and PTDI is interested to work with AIT in the following
areas: treatment of suspended solids (sludge) from textile factories and pulp and
paper mills for productive applications, treatment (including segregation) of liquid
community wastes, and incineration of wastes from communities/municipalities
for heat and electricity generation purposes.

MN National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India: On 23 August, we had
a visit from colleagues of the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology,
Allahabad India which included Dr. A. K. Mishra, Dean (Planning &
Development), Professor S. K. Duggal, Professor R. K. Srivastava, and Dr. R. P.
Tiwari. MN NIT Allahabad ranks among the top 15 institutes in India and they
have expressed strong interest in collaboration in mutual research and
consultancy, joint supervision and exchange of students and faculty, as well as
through a two-stage masters program. It was suggested that as a first step AIT
work on such aspects in some fields like civil engineering, remote sensing and
GIS systems.

Partnership with LDTA Nepal: On 23 August, Mr. Babu Ram Shrestha,
Executive Director of the Local Development Training Academy (LDTA), Nepal
visited AIT. Mr. Shrestha is an AIT alumnus and as the head of LDTA is keen on
exploring opportunities for collaboration with AIT in training programs. LDTA is
responsible for developing administrative and managerial capabilities of local
institutions by initiating, designing and delivering various types of training
programmes based on their needs. Under the Academy, there are eight training
centers spread in various parts of Nepal. Altogether 32,330 participants have
attended the training and workshop at LDTA. The major partners of LDTA are
DFID, USAID, DANIDA, GTZ and SDC.

ASEAN Scholarship Scheme on Environmental Education and Education for
Sustainable Development: Professor Mario T. Tabucanon, AIT faculty member
and former Provost, has helped in the development of an AIT proposal for the
establishment of an ASEAN Scholarship Scheme on Environmental Education &
Education for Sustainable Development (EE/ESD), which was endorsed by the
ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) at their 18th meeting held
in the Philippines from 6-8 August 2007. Professor Tabucanon was actively
involved in the formulation of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan
(AEEAP) for 2006-2010, which includes, among others, capacity building of
institutions in the ASEAN region. To that effect the establishment of an ASEAN
EE/ESD scholarship scheme is attuned to the implementation of AEEAP. Under
this scheme it is proposed to establish an ASEAN EE/ESD at AIT, designed to
provide young, talented and deserving ASEAN nationals with the opportunity to
pursue postgraduate education in environmental education and sustainable
development. ASEAN member countries have been requested to consult with their
relevant academic institutions and other agencies and to provide their inputs and
suggestions to the concept paper by the end of December 2007.

Shahid Bahonar University for Kerman, Iran: On 31 August, I met with Dr. A.
Amiri Khorasani, Chancellor of the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran
who was accompanied by four other faculty and staff members. The Kerman
Disaster Management Center of the University is the only one of its kind in Iran
and they are very interested to collaborate with AIT in the area of disaster
mitigation and management. A draft agreement has been proposed and we will be
looking at the possibilities for future collaboration such as through the exchange
of faculty and students.

AIT to host ITTI’s First Training Program in Asia: On 30 August, I met with
Peter Collier, Chief of Party, Program Integrator, US Indian Ocean Tsunami
Warning System Program; and David McKinnie, NOAA Indian Ocean Tsunami
Warning System Program along with AIT faculty members Dr. Pennung
Warnitchai, Dr. Amrit Bart and Dr. Sutat Weesakul. The purpose of the meeting
was to confirm AIT’s commitment to conduct the first International Tsunami
Training Institute (ITTI) Program in Asia on tsunami science and community
preparedness. The certificate program which will be carried out in partnership
with the University of Washington at Seattle, and NOAA, US entails a two-week
intensive program for professionals working in the fields of disaster preparedness,
warning and mitigation with the aim of creating resilient coastal communities. The
primary focus will be on the 5 countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, and Maldives. The first training
was carried out at the University Washington, Seattle campus in July 2007, with
around 30 participants, and also engagement of faculty members from AIT as
observers. The ITTI program which will be conducted at AIT is planned for
sometime in early March 2008. This would also be part of the new masters
program in disaster preparedness, mitigation and management which is being
launched by AIT in January 2008.

Partnership with Afghanistan: On 3 and 4 September, a delegation comprised of
Mr. Abdul Hai Sofizada, Ministry of Higher Education, Afghanistan; Mr.
Habibullah Habib, Chancellor, Balkh University, Afghanistan; and Ms. Scherezad
Latif, World Bank, Afghanistan, visited AIT at our invitation to discuss
partnerships between AIT and Afghanistan. The delegation had discussions with
me, the Vice Presidents, Deans, Director of AIT Extension, faculty members and
the AIT-Afghanistan Task Force members. They also visited the three Schools,
AIT Extension, some of our laboratories and toured the campus.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received a
grant from the International Development Association (IDA), an associate
institution of the World Bank, for a program titled – Strengthening Higher
Education Program (SHEP). The aim of this program is to support strategic
planning, and implementation of the development and reform program at the
higher education institutions. The SHEP envisages that this will be achieved
through two major components: (i) Block Grants and (ii) University Partnership
Programs. Under the program the Ministry of Higher Education had sent a
Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) for academic partnership with the
Faculty of Engineering of Balkh University, Afghanistan.
AIT has submitted the EOI offering to contribute to the capacity building efforts
of Balkh University. Based on the EOI submitted on 5 September, AIT has now
been short listed, and invited to prepare a needs assessment proposal for Balkh
University. The budget available for this 2.5 to 3 year project is around US$ 1.5
million, which would be to support their undergraduate curriculum development,
provision of masters and doctoral studies in areas such as water, construction and
chemical engineering, with specific emphasis on the environment and sustainable
development. In addition, Balkh University would also like to send their faculty
members from other departments aside from the Faculty of Engineering for
masters degree programs and short-term training programs. There was a
concluding meeting where it was agreed that an AIT delegation would visit Balkh
University sometime in October 2007, details of which are being worked out.
The key partners namely, University of Balkh, World Bank and Ministry of
Higher Education are highly supportive and positive, and in line with AIT’s
mission this is an excellent opportunity for the Institute to assist in the capacity
building efforts of Afghanistan. At the same time it is also important from a
promotional and branding perspective. There are a number of top universities
from the US and UK actively involved in Afghanistan with whom we can partner
and also consider working with, not only in the context of Afghanistan but also
similar initiatives in other parts of the region.

Launching of SCIB-AIT Platinum Visa Card: The Siam City Bank (SCIB)-AIT
Visa Platinum card was officially launched on 4 September 2007, at a joint
ceremony held at AIT. AIT and the Siam City Bank have entered into a strategic
partnership through the issuance of a new credit card, namely the SCIB-AIT
VISA Platinum Card, intended to benefit card-holders with financial services and
raise funds for scholarships at the post-graduate institute, at the same time. The
partnership between AIT and SCIB for co-branding of the credit card is in line
with the Institute’s strategy to develop strong linkages with the private sector. In
this regard, the partnership venture will also contribute towards the corporate
social responsibility of the bank. The activity has been undertaken focusing on the
“students” – some of whose postgraduate studies will be supported by the fund
generated by the activity involving the bank, AIT faculty, staff and students
themselves. This is the first step in the AIT-SCIB partnership, and we look
forward to collaborating in other activities between AIT and SCIB in the future.

GTZ: A GTZ team comprised of Dr. Rudolph Rauch, Principal Advisor, E3Agro
Project; Dr. Bernhard Meyhöfer, Project Advisor, MIS Project; and Dr. Mark
Prein visited AIT and met with Dr. Amararatne Yakupitiyage, and other
colleagues from the Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management field of
study with whom they have ongoing collaboration. They discussed possibilities
for collaboration in other areas such as fruit and vegetable processing, bio-diesel,
and benchmarking on starch processing.

RMIT-AIT Dual Degree Program: Dr. Peter Smoker from RMIT University,
Australia visited AIT on 7 September and met with Professor S. Kumar, Dean,
School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), along with other
SERD colleagues and ERCO staff to follow up on the ongoing discussions to
launch an AIT-RMIT dual-degree program in Food Engineering and Bioprocess
Technology. An MoA will be developed and the program marketed by AIT and
RMIT within countries such as Thailand, India, China etc. which has the potential
of also attracting self-paying students. This collaboration could into the future be
also extended to our other Centers in the region.
Organization of the Islamic Conference: On 10 September, Ambassador
Thierno Nabika Diallo, the Ambassador of Guinea in Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) and Adviser of the current General Secretary, based in Saudi
Arabia visited AIT. Ambassador Diallo met with members of the Asia-Africa
initiative taskforce. Ambassador Diallo mentioned AIT should become more
known in Africa and has offered to help promote AIT highlighting its excellence
in education, research and training. Specifically, he has also offered to bring AIT
in contact with the Thai Muslim Association of Trade and Industry which could
assist AIT in getting students from Muslim Countries.


Collaboration with Habitat for Humanity (Thailand): On 11 September, Mr.
Teerawat Chanabhai, Resource Development Director and delegation from the
Habitat for Humanity (Thailand) www.habitatthailand.org visited AIT. Habitat for
Humanity (Thailand) which is a non-profit organization, shares similar objectives
and goals for sustainable development with AIT, particularly with the Habitech
Center, in the construction of both affordable and cost-effective housing utilizing
similar technologies such as interlocking bricks, targeting low-income families
and affected communities. Dr. Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, Chairperson of
Habitat for Humanity (Thailand) as well as the Head Office, are keen on
partnering with AIT in various areas where there could be synergies and linkages.
Habitat for Humanity (Thailand) has established Habitat for Humanity Resource
Centers in different parts of Thailand and have plans to build 2000 houses
nationwide in 2008, largely through corporate sponsorship. It was agreed that a
MoU be jointly developed and that the partnership could initially be launched
through the conduct of a joint training course at AIT. Through the sharing of
experiences, the partnership could then be further expanded to include the
development of joint proposals to be submitted to prospective funding agencies,
internships and research opportunities for AIT students, and also promotion and
technology transfer of the Habitech Building Systems to projects conducted by
Habitat for Humanity (Thailand) in both Thailand and other parts of the region.

Sciences Po, France: Mr. Thierry Liu and Mr. Anand Balaraman from Sciences
Po, a prestigious French social science institution offering degrees in disciplines
such as political science, development studies, communication, marketing and
related fields visited AIT on 13 September. They discussed ways to strengthen the
relation between Sciences Po and AIT, including student and faculty exchanges
and the initiation of joint research, particularly in areas related to the sustainable
development, where the strong expertise of Sciences Po in social sciences and
AIT’s experience in grounded research on sustainable development in Asia would
be a very good match.

IMF: On 14 September, two high-ranking officials of the International Monetary
Fund, Mr. Masahiro Takeda, Deputy Director for Asia and Pacific Department
and Mr. Alieu Demba, Division Chief, Recruitment and Staffing Division visited
AIT. While their visit was primarily to recruit our students and graduates for
several positions in IMF in Washington DC, the meeting opened up an
opportunity for AIT to orient them of the many possibilities for collaboration. The
half-day activity, which was organized by the Career Center@AIT, consisted of a
presentation of employment / internship possibilities at IMF to students, a meeting
with the School of Management faculty and interviews of short listed candidates
for positions falling under the IMF Internship Program, Economist Program, or
Research Assistant Program.

Nanobiotechnology Programme, ARI India: On 14 September, Dr. Kishore M.
Paknikar, Senior Scientist and Group Head, Nanobiotechnology Programme,
Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) Pune (India) visited AIT. ARI is an
autonomous, grant-in-aid research institute of the Department of Science and
Technology (DST), Government of India established in 1946. Dr. Paknikar
informed AIT about a recent collaboration with the Wayne State University in
Nanotechnology in his institute. He has shown interest to carry out joint research
activities with the AIT’s Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology. He also
discussed about a new initiative of Weikfield Malhotra Foundation floated by a
premier industrial group in India. The foundation is interested in partnering with
eminent educational institutes across the globe, such as AIT. The foundation is in
the advanced stages of finalizing future specialized hi-tech education through their
university which is scheduled to start operations next year. The President of
Malhotra Foundation has shown interest to visit AIT and discuss possible
collaborations.

Collaboration with UNCTAD on Trade Capacity Building: On 20 September,
Mr. Sven Callebaut, Regional Expert in Laos and Cambodia from
UNCTAD, visited AIT. Mr. Callebaut is Chief Technical Advisor of the
TrainForTrade project for Cambodia and Lao PDR funded by the French
cooperation. This project aims at developing capacities in the fields of
international trade and investment in the two countries through training courses,
training the trainers and establishing training networks. The discussion explored
possibilities to involve AIT as a resource provider in future activities in possible
extensions of the project in Laos and Cambodia as well as in other countries of the
region. As an immediate outcome of the meeting, AIT will be invited to join a
regional conference due to take place early 2008 in Cambodia which will bring
together all potential partners to this extension. I welcome this occasion given to
AIT to collaborate with UNCTAD on issues of primary importance to the
development of the region.

Ruamrudee International School (RIS): AIT and Ruamrudee International
School (RIS) officially joined forces on 20 September 2007 to establish a longterm collaborative relationship that will pave the way for mutual academic
benefits at two of Thailand’s leading institutions of learning. At an official signing
ceremony held at AIT, and represented by Rev. Wirach Amonpattana C.Ss.R, RIS
Head of School, on behalf of RIS, we agreed to an historic partnership that covers
four main areas of cooperation: academic programs, staff development,
curriculum development, and cultural and sports activities. AIT and RIS anticipate
this historic agreement will serve as a model for cooperation between educational
institutions in Thailand, which will usher in a new era of joint collaboration in
pursuit of educational excellence. An article on the AIT and RIS MOU
partnership was be published in the Tuesday, 25 September 2007 edition of the
Learning Post section of the Bangkok Post.

GMSARN Initiatives: Professor Vilas Wuwongse, Vice President for External
Relations and Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, in his capacity as GMSARN Secretary
General, visited Kunming University of Science and Technology (KUST) and
Yunnan University (YU) on 19 and 20 September to strengthen AIT’s GMSARN
collaboration with the two universities. KUST has been actively contributing to
GMSARN activities and has offered to co-host the next GMSARN International
Conference as well as Board Meeting in 2008. KUST has expressed its interest to
cooperate with AIT in some joint or unified international programs as its new
School of International Programs has just been established and KUST will focus
more on GMS and ASEAN. YU considers GMS and ASEAN to be its most
important partner regions. YU has been assigned by the Ministry of Education to
be the Chinese contact point with the ASEAN University Network. In this
connection, YU wishes to be more active in GMSARN and has offered to co-host
the next GMSARN International Conference and Board Meeting in 2008 together
with KUST. YU is a comprehensive university, traditionally strong in natural and
social sciences but it plans to strengthen its engineering and other international
programs. Therefore, it wishes to explore closer bilateral cooperation with AIT
and has requested AIT to consider a possibility of the establishment of a center
similar to the one in Vietnam at YU.

Collaboration with VINNOVA: On the 20 September we welcomed to the
institute Dr. Sven Gunnar Edlund, Director and Head of Innovation Actors
Division, VINNOVA (Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems) and his
colleagues, Mrs. Marit Werner, Project Manager, Innovation Actors Division and
Ms. Asa Minoz. They made a presentation titled “The Swedish Innovation System
and VINNOVA", which highlighted the Swedish National Innovation System
Characteristics, VINNOVA´s mission is to promote sustainable growth
by funding strategic research, addressing needs in industry and society
developing efficient innovation systems, National Research & Innovation System
Programs and three models that have been successfully in Sweden, Competency
centers – a key component in Strong research and innovation environments,
regional growth through an innovations system approach and Professionalizing
universities in cooperating with industry and society and in commercialization of
research. In a separate meeting with the Vice President for Research, Prof S. K.
Rakshit they discussed the possibility of a series of workshops at AIT of the topic
“Putting ideas to work – strategies for innovation-led sustainable growth.” It is
encouraging to note that they would like AIT to partner them in these activities in
the region far beyond the first set planned in the coming months. We also had
joint meetings with officials from the Technology Management Center, NASTDA
and Chula Unisearch, Chulalongkorn University.

Additional Scholarships from Indonesia: In follow up to my visit to Indonesia
and meeting with Dr. Ir. Gatot Hari Priowirjanto, Head, Bureau of Planning and
International Cooperation, Ministry of National Education, Indonesia, the
Ministry has approved the provision of 10 new scholarships for the AIT-AITCIUniversitas Gadja Mada (UGM), dual degree program in Transportation
Engineering. This will bring the total number of students supported by the
Government of Indonesia to 26. The study plan for the students would entail
semester 1 and semester 4 at UGM and semesters 2 and 3 at AIT / AITCI.

ASEAN Foundation Project: Dr. Kyoko Kusakabe and colleagues in the Gender
& Development Studies field of study have been awarded the project on
“Capacity Building for Gender Poverty and Mobility Analysis of Road
Transportation Development in GMS Region” by the ASEAN Foundation. The
contract with a budget of US$ 329,976, is aimed at contributing to new
approaches of gender mainstreaming and mutual learning in ASEAN countries, by
focusing on road infrastructure development, which is increasingly becoming
regional in nature.

CGIAR Contract: AIT’s proposal "Linking Thai Jasmine Rice farmers with
markets using participatory action research for sustainability of rain-fed lowland
rice-based system of Northeast Thailand" has been accepted for funding by the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The total
grant amount for this 24 month project is US$ 243,000 with co-financing /
funding (in-kind) of US$110,000. The International Water Management Institute
(IWMI)-Southeast Asia is AIT’s partner in the initiative. The other local partner is
the Thai Education Foundation which is a Thailand based NGO. The project is
part of CGIAR’s initiative towards enhancing the impact of research for
development, through pilot competitive grants programs to support innovative
partnerships and projects. Dr. Prabhat Kumar will be the Principal Investigator for
the project and Mrs. Abha Mishra, who is one of our doctoral students, will serve
as the Co-Principal Investigator.

EU Asia-Link Project: .Dr. Ram C. Bhujel, an Affiliated Faculty in the
Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AARM) Field of Study has
been successful in winning a project entitled, “Linking the post-graduate
education in aquaculture and aquatic resources management with its industries”
through a global competitive process funded by EU under the Asia-Link Program.
Under the project AARM will play a coordinating role and serve as the lead
partner. Other collaborating partners include, the University of Stirling, UK;
Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal; Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
(IAAS), Chitwan Nepal; Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Phnom Penh,
Cambodia; Research Institute for Aquaculture (RIA) No. 1, Hanoi, Vietnam; and
University of Agriculture & Forestry (UAF), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The
total budget for the project is 959,157 Euro (approximately 45.7 million Baht)
including partner contributions. Over the three year period of the project two
lecturers from the Asian partner institutions will be provided with scholarships to
pursue their doctoral studies at AIT. The project will also fund the field research
for about 40 M.Sc. students to be conducted in their respective home countries. In
addition, around eight European students will have the opportunity to come and
work in Asia and receive real field experience which could form part of their
thesis work or credits for community work depending upon their university
requirements.

European Union (EU)-FP7 Programme: Dr. Bhujel’s proposal submitted under
the EU-FP7 Programme has also been selected for funding. The 36 month project
entitled “Sustainable Aquaculture Research Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa –
(SARNISSA)” will start in January 2008, and be coordinated by the University of
Stirling, UK, with AARM-AIT, as one of the key partners in the project. The total
estimated budget of the project is 996,037.00 Euro.
Under the project AARM-AIT will play a key role in producing the Aquaculture
Compendium (AC) from the viewpoint of using Asian aquaculture, and it will
look at the dissemination and its impacts thereafter. AARM-AIT will host and
assist key African stakeholders to visit Asia, especially Aqua Outreach partners
and also work in reviewing the impacts on final users of the case studies compiled
in the AC, so that they can be taken forward as a template. As a leading
organization in Asia, AIT will play a key role from the Asian side to link with
African research networks. It will also be responsible for the work plan for a study
and subsequent state of the system report on governmental approaches, benefits
and constraints to aquaculture development in the sub-region Thailand, Vietnam
and Cambodia, in conjunction and comparison with similar studies carried out by
the ETC Foundation (in The Netherlands) and WorldFish Center in Africa.

Meeting of Asian Wise Person’s Group-Linkages between AIT and ADB:
H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, former Chairman of the Board, and distinguished
AIT alumnus Dr. Subin Pinkayan, who are both members of the Asian Wise
Person’s Group (AWG-3), proposed AIT’s name in relation to some of the
strategic areas and actions that were considered by the AWG-3 during their
meeting held in Manila during 21-22 September 2007. The recommendations
made by the AWG-3 will serve as inputs in the formulation of ADB’s Long-Term
Strategic Plan. During my meeting with the ADB President in August 2006, I had
shared some of my views on knowledge sharing and human resource development
as well as strengthening of the capacities of and networking among Asian centers
and regional academic institutes, and we will be looking into how best we could
further pursue initiatives in this direction in partnership with ADB, taking into
account the recommendations made by the AWG-3.
4.3

Can Tho People’s Committee, Vietnam: A delegation comprising Mr. Nguyen
Thanh Son, Vice Chairman, People’s Committee of Can Tho City, Mr. Le Phu
Hao, Vice Director, Department of Home Affairs, Mrs. Tran Thi Thanh Binh,
Rector, Can Tho University of Technology, Colonel Ha Nghia Lo, Director,
Department of Police, and Lieutenant Colonel Vo Thi Nhu Tuyet, Vice Head,
Administrative Management & Social Order, Department of Police, visited AIT
during 26-29 September 2007. The purpose of their visit was to explore areas in
which there could be collaborations between AIT and the Department of Home
Affairs-Can Tho City (DoHA-CT), in particular for the capacity building of their
officials under the ‘Project 150’. DoHA-CT is keen on funding some of their
officials to further their study at AIT. We had an official MoU signing ceremony
on 26 September, and expect the collaborations between AIT and DoHA to be
further expanded into the future.

AIT Cooperation with DICE China: On 27 September 2007, I attended the
reception marking the 58th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic
of China, which was hosted by H.E. Mr. Zhang Jiuhuan, Ambassador of the China
to Thailand, on the occasion of which AIT signed a MoU with the Department of
International Cooperation and Exchanges (DICE), Ministry of Education, PRC.
Under the MoU, DICE will be providing 10 full scholarships for Chinese doctoral
students who are working in China to pursue their studies at AIT. The
scholarships are for any field of study offered in the three Schools of AIT and will
be spread over a 3 year period starting from the January 2008 intake.

Asia-Africa Initiative: As part of AIT’s Asia-Africa Initiative, a first ever
workshop on “Doing Business in Africa” is being organized by AIT during 3-4
December 2007 at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Our efforts in this
direction have been strongly supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Thailand, which is funding and hosting the event, and views the workshop as an
effective mechanism by which the cooperation between Thailand and African
countries could be further promoted. Through the workshop we will also be
exploring the prospects of AIT in promoting cooperation and business
opportunities in Africa for Thailand and other parts of the region. High-level
participants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand and African nations,
along with representatives from UN bodies, international institutions such as
World Bank, African Development Bank etc. are expected to participate in the
workshop.
Some of the Key Events

Farewell Lunch for Outgoing Ambassador of Bangladesh: On 30 July, I along
with Vice President for Development and Resources Khin Ni Ni Thein took part
in the farewell lunch which AIT hosted in honour of outgoing AIT trustee, H.E.
Mr. Shahed Akhtar, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand. Ambassador Akhtar
who will be completing his term in Thailand served on the AIT Board of Trustees
from May 2004 to August 2007.
On behalf of AIT I presented a plaque of appreciation to Ambassador Akhtar on the
occasion. Ambassador Akhtar is keen on maintaining close relations
with AIT and has assured us of his continued support to the Institute. He
has put forward a suggestion that AIT develop a system wherein it keeps
track of former trustees since many of them may be interested and in a
position to actively support and contribute in AIT related activities and
initiatives. We shall be looking into ways in which we could tap in this
important resource possibly linking it to our ongoing efforts to create a
gallery of former administrators, faculty and staff.

60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand-India
Celebrations and AITAA Party: On 3 August, I participated in the reception
hosted by H.E. Mr. Sawanit Kongsiri, Deputy Foreign Minister, and AIT trustee
H.E. Ms. Vijaya Latha Reddy, Ambassador of India to Thailand, to
commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between ThailandIndia at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event was attended by
more than 300 diplomatic corps, representatives of International organizations,
scholars, businessmen and media.
The same evening I also took part in the AIT Alumni EXPAT Party 2007 which
was held at the Royal Turf Club and organized by the AIT Alumni Association
(AITAA) as part of their activities for the year 2007. It was an enjoyable evening
and I had an opportunity to meet and interact with a lot of our alumni and family
members. I would like to thank Gen. Dr. Boonsrang Niumpradit, President of the
AITAA Mother Chapter, Dr. Anupam Das, Chairman of the Organizing
Committee and Auditing Secretary of AITAA Mother Chapter, and other alumni
who helped organize the event.

Meetings of Audit and Executive Committee: Meetings of the Audit and
Executive Committees were held on 6 August 2007. Positive feedback was
received from the Audit Committee on the improvements that have been made in
the Institute’s overall financial control and monitoring processes and systems. The
major items discussed at the Executive Committee were the draft AIT Charter,
proposal for the establishment of an AIT Center in Pakistan, AIT’s engagement in
undergraduate degree programs etc.

Mini-Graduation Ceremony: Thirty six (36) students were able to complete their
degree requirements at the end of this Intersemester 2007. An informal graduation
ceremony was held on 6 August at AIT which was attended by three doctoral and
3 master's graduands. The ceremony was presided over by the Vice President for
Academic Affairs and the students' Advisors and School Deans also participated.
In my interactions with the graduating students it was heartening to learn that for
some of them AIT had provided them with a unique opportunity to pursue their
postgraduate studies at a much later stage in their lives and careers, which also
helped in greatly boosting their self-confidence.
A similar informal graduation ceremony also took place on 4 September 2007 for
the seven doctoral students under the term system that were able to complete their
degree requirements at the end of the May 2007 term.

Visit of UNEP Korea and Children: on 9 August, I met with Ms. Hyun JinJeon
Programme Coordinator, Team of Youth & Children UNEP National Committee
for the Republic of Korea who spent a day at AIT with around 30 Korean school
children. The children were visiting Thailand as part of an environmental
education program called 'Green Seeds' organized in collaboration with the
Thailand Environment Institute. The Korean children had activities with children
of the AIT Community School, visited some of our environmental research
activities and also joined the AIT children in a Clean AIT Day activity.

Coastal Institute Asia: Integrated Ecosystem Management: On 10 August, I
took part in the closing ceremony of the seminar and study visit course on
Integrated Ecosystem Management which was jointly organized by the University
of Rhode Island, IUCN, USAID, Aquaculture & Aquatic Resources Management
field of study and AIT Extension. In this rapidly changing discipline of integrated
coastal management, with big issues to tackle in coastline changes, population
migration and climate change- the need for qualified coastal managers is higher
than ever. Developing, strengthening and supporting such new academic and
professional development approaches are fundamental to the mission of AIT.
Innovative courses and training programs such as this are what separate us from
others. In this context, this course was a unique offering because it blended the
academic rigor of a masters level course and experiential learning of a
professional development program. There is also an ongoing discussion between
AIT and the University of Rhode Island to jointly establish a Center of Excellence
on Integrated Coastal Zone Management which would be based at AIT.

Ho Chi Minh City International University (HCMIU), Vietnam: On 10
August, Dr. Ho Thanh Phong (our alumnus), Associate Professor and currently
Vice Rector of Ho Chi Minh City International University (HCMIU) visited AIT.
We discussed the possibility of AIT establishing a Center in collaboration with the
Vietnam National University and Saigon Hi-tech Park, which could conduct
professional degree programs and training courses. The Saigon Hi-tech Park
priority
areas
are
in
micro-electronics;
information
technology;
telecommunications; biotechnology applied in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and
environment; precision mechanics; and automation and new advanced materials
(nano-technology, new energy). There are a number of areas in which there could
be synergies with AIT and we are discussing further details.

MOET Vietnam: On 11 August 2007, a delegation led by H.E. Professor Dr.
Pham Vu Luan, Vice Minister, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET),
Vietnam, visited AIT. H.E. Prof. Dr. Pham Vu Luan conveyed the greetings to
AIT from H.E. Professor Nguyen Thien Nhân, former MOET Minister who has
recently been promoted to Deputy Prime Minister position. The Minister informed
AIT about the Government of Vietnam's emphasis on quality education, education
and training as per the needs of the society, university research geared towards the
needs of the country, and improved quality of management in Vietnamese
universities. He also informed AIT about the government’s long term plans to
train 20,000 Vietnamese nationals at the doctoral level, out of which 10,000
would be trained abroad; and training of trainers (TOT) program for 15,000
primary and secondary school Principals. AIT can play a significant role in this
effort by the Government of Vietnam and we have expressed our keen interest and
willingness to contribute in this initiative.

Student Orientation: On 14 August, we had a Student Orientation for the new
students enrolling in the August 2007 semester. Compared to August 2006, where
562 registered, this year’s total enrolment of around 629 showed an increase of
about 12%. In terms of full-fee equivalent, this translates to 503 full-fee paying
students compared to only 436 in 2006, a leap of about 15.3% in terms of tuition
revenue. Not only was the auditorium full-packed, the orientation showcased a
full-day event with inter-related programmes designed to provide new students
with briefings that helped them understand the “ins” and “outs” of studying and
living at AIT.

Presentations by Dr. Airi Rovio-Johansson: Dr. Airi Rovio-Johansson,
Associate Professor, Gothenburg Research Institute (GRI), School of Business,
Economics and Law, Gothenburg University, Sweden, delivered two presentations
to members of the AIT community. The lecture on 14 August was on the topic
“European University Association and its Institutional Evaluation Programme - A
success among its member institutions in Europe” while that on 15 August was
entitled “In the framework of Institutional Quality, Accountability and Autonomy
– A Quality Assurance System is a Necessity in a global education perspective”.

Mid-year Institute Forum: A mid-year Institute Forum was held on 24 August
2007. The ensuing frank and open discussions that took place after my
presentation on the student enrolment statistics and the first 7 months financial
results for FY 2007 was most encouraging. We will be organizing face-to-face
meetings with the Schools with a view to analyzing the outcomes of the August
2007 student intake, areas in which we have been successful, others that require
improvement, as well as field of study and country-wise analysis of the student
enrolment. A special ceremony was also held during the Forum at which we
presented a plaque of appreciation to distinguished AIT alumnus Dr. Chainarong
Na Lamphun (CEO of INDEX International Group and former AITAA President)
for his contribution of one million Baht to AIT in support of initiatives leading to
AIT’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Dr. Chainarong has offered to join and lead
an AIT team to approach successful AIT alumni in Thailand and the region in
garnering similar support which he is confident would be forthcoming. My
presentation made at the Forum is available at :
http://www.ait.ac.th/interimpage/AIT_user/about_ait/presentations.asp

Nominating Committee Meeting: A meeting of the Board Nominating
Committee was held on 23 August, in the Board Chairman Dr. Tej Bunnag’s
office at The Privy Council Chambers, Saranrom Palace Gardens, Bangkok. The
meeting was chaired by Dr. Tej and attended by H.E. Mr. Hideaki Kobayashi,
Ambassador of Japan; Dr. Malee Suwana-adth, Senior Advisor, National Center
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology; and Professor Ram M. Shrestha,
Chairman of the Academic Senate. The Nominating Committee reviewed the
current membership of the Board of Trustees and its Committees, membership
changes and updates, and considered new nominations.

Special Gender Sensitivity Workshop Series: Ms. Nelien Haspels, Senior
Gender Specialist, International Labour Organization, sub regional office for East
Asia, facilitated a series of gender sensitivity workshop/training at AIT. The
workshop conducted on 31 August was entitled, “Gender Mainstreaming in
Institutions of Higher Learning” and “Action Against Sexual Harassment” and
attended by the Dean, School of Engineering and Technology (SET), Associate
Dean for New Development, SET, some of the field of study Coordinators from
the 3 schools, members of the faculty, staff and students. One of the main
suggestions ensuing from the discussions following the presentations was to
conduct a gender sensitivity training session for new students as part of their
orientation in order to increase awareness and understanding in this area. The
series of workshops are also aimed at providing opportunity to every member of
our faculty to be able to attend at least one of the four workshops being organized,
together with staff members who have supervisory roles. The first gender
sensitivity workshop for members of the administration was held on 22 February
2007, and attended by myself, the Vice presidents, some of the Deans and
Administrative Office Heads.

Visit of the new French Regional Counsellor for Cooperation: On 14
September, Mr. Maurice Siveton, the new Regional Counsellor for Cooperation at
the French Embassy in Bangkok visited AIT. Mr. Siveton oversees the regional
activities of the French cooperation, including those taking place with AIT. We
presented him with an overview of the Institute and its activities and discussed the
related strategies of AIT and the French cooperation.

Decision Meeting on the Outsourcing of Cafeteria: On 19 September, we had a
Decision Meeting, to consider the outsourcing of the AIT cafeteria operations by
Sodexho www.sodexho.com, which is a global organization specializing in
integrated facilities management. Following a lengthy discussion on the various
pros and cons it was decided to proceed with the outsourcing of the cafeteria. The
launch of the Sodexho managed cafeteria is planned for January 2007.

Visit of Counsellor, AEI, Australian Embassy: On 19 September, Ms. Anne
Reynolds, Counsellor, Education, Science and Training, Australian Education
International (AEI), the Australian Embassy, accompanied by Ms. Watinee
Kharnwong, Deputy Director, and Ms. Pradhana Limkrailassiri, Project Manager,
Higher Education visited AIT. Various possibilities of partnership were discussed
which includes linkages between AIT’s Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology
and the University of Queensland which is active in this field, as well as
collaboration between SOM and Australian universities, particularly through the
DBA program.

Visit of President, AITAA Central Asia Chapter: On 17 September, AIT
alumnus Mr. Janaka Dharmabandu (GTE 1989), who is the President of the AIT
Alumni Association (AITAA)-Central Asia Chapter, and working in Kazakhtsan,
visited AIT. We discussed ways in which the AITAA Central Asia Chapter could
assist AIT in recruiting more students from the Central Asian countries;
possibility of AIT partnering the Government of Kazakhstan in the upgrading of
some of the universities in Kazakhstan; and also possibility of AIT negotiating
loans through banks in Kazakhstan for students interested in pursuing their studies
at AIT and who may have financial difficulties.

Friendship: Closer and Longer: An enriching Student Union led welcome show
took place on Saturday, 22 September at the AIT Conference Center. A fullpacked auditorium witnessed a variety of performances from 14 different
countries, which evolved around the theme of 'Friendship: Closer & Longer'. A
combination of competing and non-competing shows consisting Mr. & Ms.
fashion show, singing, dancing and skit presentations wowed the audience from
5:00 p.m. till early morning of the following day. The activity was also graced by
representatives from the different embassies such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The Student Union, its PresidentMr. Rathsayam Tiyarathtagarn and Ms. Nguyen Hoang Lan, SU Gender &
Culture Committee Chair, spearheaded this event, which showcased AIT's
diversity and internationality.

Extramural Lectures by Lord Oxburgh and Ambassador Nordlander: As
part of the continuation of AIT’s long tradition to invite distinguished speakers
from various field of science, technology, business and philosophy alike, in order
to continuously stimulate active discussions and debate among intellectuals,
academia, researchers, professionals, students, and AIT community at large, on 24
September 2007, a special talk on "Energy after Oil" was delivered by Lord
Ronald Oxburgh KBE. Lord Oxburgh, is a very distinguished academician with
extensive experience in the private sector, and is trained as a
geologist/geophysicist (Oxford & Princeton). He is also the former Rector of
Imperial College and Chairman of Shell. Lord Oxburgh also served as a member
in the former Academic Advisory Panel of the AIT Board of Trustees. During his
presentation, Lord Oxburgh provided a global scenario on the future of energy,
some of the limitations and challenges, highlights of some of the innovative
approaches being taken, and more importantly how all of us as individuals can
help contribute in a collective manner in the ongoing efforts to attain a low carbon
world, and cited complacency as being a threat.
As part of AIT’s series of talks on Human Rights, the 2nd talk in the series was
delivered by Ambassador Mr. Jan Axel Nordlander, Ambassador for Human
Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden on 25 September 2007. Ambassador
Nordlander is the former Ambassador of Sweden to Thailand and served as ViceChairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Executive Committee of
the Board of the Asian Institute of Technology. Ambassador Nordlander spoke on
the topic “Human Rights – A Tool for Development and Security” highlighting the
role of human rights for not only sustainable development and for human security,
but also as a tool in conflict prevention and peace building. In his talk
Ambassador Nordlander also put special emphasis on the rights of women and
minorities and argued that focus should now shift from legislation to
implementation.

4.4
Student Union Forum: Bridging the Communication Gap: A very friendly,
casual and informative forum on the campus and the environment took place on
25 September 2007 between the Student Union (SU) and the administration.
Organized and led by the SU Environmental Committee Chair, Ms. Sk. Naureen
Laila. The activity served as a venue not only to express concerns and complaints
but also provided a platform for airing suggestions on a number of workable
solutions to issues such as solid waste management, food & water quality, insect
problems, stray dogs and cats, dormitory and related concerns among others. One
of the highlights of the event was a study on innovative ways of conserving
energy on campus, which was presented by a student from the Energy field of
study, Ms. Pinnukarn Kosonkarn. Initially aiming to bridge the communication
gap between the administration and the students, the forum did a lot more than
that - it led the way to creative and innovative remedies to some campus concerns.
Recognition of AIT Faculty, Staff, Students and Alumni

Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Dean, School of Engineering and Technology
(SET), was invited by the Academic Affairs Division, Thammasat University, to be
part of the academic quality assurance evaluation auditing team, which undertook the
annual internal audit of the College of Innovative Education on 16 August 2007.

Professor Stephen O. Ogunlana, faculty in SET, was appointed as Joint
Coordinator of the CIB's W107 (Construction in Developing Countries).

Professor Vilas Salokhe, faculty in SERD, was invited to serve as a reviewer for
the project research proposal submitted for funding to the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC).

The article on “Information Technology Offshore Outsourcing in India: A Human
Resources Management Perspective, Research and Practice in Human Resource
Management”, written by Dr Singha Chiamsiri and SOM graduates Ms. Sri Devi
Bulusu (IB 2004) and Mr. M. Agarwal (IB 2004) which was posted in the Journal
of Research and Practice in Human Resource Management since December 2005,
was cited as the most popular during July 2006-June 2007 period.

Professor Dennes T. Bergado, faculty in SET’s article on “Tsunami reconstruction
with geosynthetic containment systems” was published in the special issue of
Geotextiles & Geomembranes Journal (Vol. 25, Nos. 4 to 5) for August to
October 2007, in which he also serves as the Guest Editor. The G & G Journal has
currently the highest citation index among GTE journals in which he is also
member of the Editorial Board.
Two papers written by Professor Bergado, have also been cited (no. 10 and no.
15) in the top 25 most downloaded articles in the Geotextiles and Geomembranes
Journal.

Professor Kanchana Kanchanasut, Director of intERLab and faculty in SET
coordinated a worldwide event with Mozilla (Open Source Organization) called
Mozilla 24) which provided a lot positive publicity for AIT. Mozilla did a press
release from Mountain View, California in which AIT was mentioned as a partner
of the event. The event drew individuals interested in shaping the future of the
Web socially, technically and culturally, including Web developers, researchers,
engineers, and end users from around the world. Stanford University, Keio
University and Nara Institute of Technology are among the partners involved in
this initiative.

Professor Lalit M. Johri, faculty member in SOM, has been appointed as a Fellow
in International Business by Oxford University. He will engage in teaching,
research and consultancy activities in the Said Business School (Financial Times
Global ranking 17). Professor Johri will also direct the Advanced Management
Program of Oxford.

Dr. Nitin Tripathi helped promote AIT through his participation in the event
organized to celebrate 60 years of Indo-Thai Diplomatic Relations. As part of the
celebrations, Dr. Tripathi was invited by the President of Rajmangala University
of Technology and AIT trustee H.E. Ms. Latha Reddy, Ambassador of India to
deliver a talk on “Space Technology for Development” on 24 August, which was
attended by 400 distinguished invitees and students. The event was co-organized
by the Indian Embassy, Rajamangla University of Technology, Chira Academy
for International Human Resource Development and IIT Alumni Association,
Thailand. Dr. Tripathi’s presentation was very well received and acclaimed by the
Ambassador of India and the President of the University in addition to other
attendees.
4.5

Professor Chongrak Polprasert was elected as one of the 21 Fellows of the School
of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. The official communication from
Professor Y. Matsumoto, Dean of the School of Engineering, University of
Tokyo, to Professor Chongrak, notes that the conferment of the Fellowship which
will take place on 10 November 2007, is in recognition of his distinguished
service and achievement in research and education in the field of engineering and
contribution to the School. Other Fellows who have also received similar
distinctions are engineering professors from MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, ETH
Zurich and other top universities.

Dr. Ulrich Glawe, Associate Professor in Geotechnical Engineering at SET was
appointed as Full Professor at Karlsruhe University, Germany, where he will chair
the Department of Applied Geology. Karlsruhe University, is one of the three
recently appointed German “Elite-Universities”. Professor Glawe’s selection out
of many international candidates highlights the potential and chances for carrier
development, AIT offers to its faculty. During his farewell at my office, Professor
Glawe expressed his gratitude to AIT and his interest to continue cooperating with
AIT and its faculty in the future.

Professor S. K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research, has been invited to join the
editorial Board of the journal “Recent Patents in Biotechnology” which includes
other distinguished member from the area of biotechnology. Professor Rakshit
was also invited to a talk by H.E. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs
Minster, Government of India on the “India Looking East” event. This was
arranged by the Indian Embassy in collaboration with the Institute of Strategic
Studies, Chulalongkorn University. The talk shed light on the importance India
puts on relations with Thailand and ASEAN.

Dr. Siriwan Suebnukarn, an alumna of AIT's Computer Science and Information
Management program, SET, who received the IFIA Lady Prize for the Best
Women-Invention on September 27-30, 2007 at the 2007 International Invention
Show and Technomart, held in Taiwan. The award is for her work on COMET:
An intelligent tutoring system for medical problem-based learning. The work
successfully passed the Asian, Africa and Australia semifinal round of the World
Cup of Computer Implemented inventions (CIIs) and has been chosen to compete
in the final round of the World Cup of CIIs in 2008. The system was developed by
Dr. Siriwan during her doctoral study at AIT under the supervision of Professor
Peter Haddawy.
Other News

Appointment of News and Media Specialist: Mr. Shawn Patrick Kelly, has been
appointed as News and Media Specialist, initially on a part-time basis and fulltime from January 2008. Mr. Kelly, is a graduate of the University of Western
Ontario, Canada, and has been in the region for more than a decade working in the
field of development communication, media and journalism.

Article Published in Göteborg-posten: In follow up to the visit to AIT of Mr.
Tomas Eriksson (Kinnekulle Reportage AB, Sweden) and Ms. Catharina Bergsten
(Freelance Journalist) and interview which they took with me, an article has been
published (attached) in the 2 August 2007 issue of the Göteborg-posten. The
article which is written in Swedish is highly positive and highlights various
important facets of AIT and its contribution to the development of the region.

Interview with ASEAN Affairs: On 27 July, Mr. S. Roy, Founder and CEO of
ASEAN Affairs accompanied by the Editor, Mr. John Walsh had visited AIT and
interviewed me. The interview covers AIT’s activities in the region, particularly in
the context of ASEAN, and also on topics such as scientific research in ASEAN,
ways in which public discourse could be strengthened etc. The interview and can
be viewed at : http://www.aseanaffairs.com/store/1772737/page/1089988

Appointment of Head Administration: Mrs. Izel Ann Mojado-Dante, Head
Research and Education Support, has been appointed to the newly established
Head of Administration position effective from 1 September 2007. Mrs. Izel
continues her functions as Head of Research and Education Support; therefore,
there has been no additional headcount with this restructuring. The rationale for
the Head of Administration position is to relieve the President and Vice Presidents
from operational matters so as to put emphasis on strategic activities and also in
order to better facilitate communications and improve coordination of initiatives
among / across offices in servicing the Schools and Units. We will during the
coming months further examine the efficacy of having this new position and if
needed make the required adjustments along the way.

AIT Landmark Construction by Alumni: I along with members of the Campus
Planning and Environment Committee met with the representatives from the AIT
Alumni Association (AITAA) Mother Chapter to discuss the proposal for the
construction of an AIT Landmark by the AITAA as part of AIT’s 50th
Anniversary Celebrations. I have approved the construction of Phase I, as a stand
alone project on condition that no trees will be cut in the area. The AITAA will
check this further with the landscape architect to ensure that this condition is met
before proceeding with the construction which is expected to take about 3 months.
For the Phases II and III, AIT has other proposals instead of the original ones
proposed by the AITAA, which will be submitted for consideration by the AITAA
Governing Board when they meet in December 2007.

Dr. Ahmad Lanti - At my request AIT alumnus Mr. Ahmad Lanti (WRE
M.Eng.’83) who is currently the Chairman of Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory
Body visited AIT on 24th August and made a presentation on the “Multi Purpose
Deep Tunnel (MPDT) of Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory Body (JWSRB)”. There
is indeed great potential and opportunity for AIT to be involved in such large scale
feasibility projects and AIT has submitted a formal expression of interest letter in
the project.

Re-opening of AIT Golf Course to Co-exist with Arboretum: AIT received the
formal consent of the Rector of Thammasat University on the re-opening of the
former golf course that would co-exist with the arboretum and be managed by and
operated by a private company. An Institute-level task force is currently working
on the implementation details.

Appointment of New Chairman of Academic Senate: Professor Ram M.
Shrestha was appointed as the new Chairman of the Academic Senate, replacing
Professor Stephen Ogunlana, effective, 25 July 2007.

Laptop for Students: Due to extensive use of IT facilities and e-resources
required by students during their study, starting from August 2007 intake, all
incoming students have been required to have their own laptop computer which
would enable them to access e-resources from anywhere. For those new students
who do not own their own laptop computers, the Institute has facilitated in
obtaining new laptop computers through a special partnership agreement with
SVOA Public Company Ltd (50% discount and subsidy). An extension of the
subsidy was also negotiated for the other ongoing students.

Pakistan’s KTN TV Channel Visits AIT: On 30 August, one of Pakistan’s
leading TV channels KTN visited AIT and took promotional videos and also
conducted interviews with some of our Pakistani students and members of the
administration. Members of the TV crew were very impressed by AIT and are
confident that through the broadcasting of their documentary on AIT many more
students from Pakistan would be interested in joining the Institute.

Significant Improvement in AIT English Placement Test Scores for August
2007: There has been a significant improvement in the overall scores of the AIT
English Placement Test conducted for the students enrolling in the August 2007
intake compared to that of 2006. From the total 526 students who were tested, 189
(36%) passed the test, while 113 (21%) received scores in the 5.5-5.9 bracket, 124
(24%) in the 5.0-5.4 bracket and 100 (19%) with less than 5.0. In 2006, from the
452 students who took the test, 102 (22.5%) passed it, while 60 (13%) received
between 5.5-5.9, 149 (33%) between 5.0-5.4 and 141 (31%) less than 5.0. The
results show that about 57% of the August 2007 students are in the 5.5 or higher
bracket compared to only 35% in 2006. Correspondingly only 43% are in the 5.4
or lower bracket compared to 65% in 2006. The tightening of the English
language entry requirements has helped bring about this positive improvement
which will further enhance the quality of discussions and interactions in the
classrooms and at the same time also enable the AIT Language Center to provide
more focused support to those students who need to further strengthen their
English.

AIT Featured in HEC Pakistan Magazine: The June 2007 issue of the Higher
Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan News and Views magazine (monthly
publication) featured the workshop on "Good Governance in Universities in the
21st Century" held at AIT during 22 May to 1 June 2007 and also a write-up on
two HEC scholars Mr. Naveed-ul-Islam (microelectronics) and Mr. Shahid Iqbal
(telecommunications) who received outstanding performance awards at the 107th
graduation ceremony held in May 2007.

SET Retreat: I was invited by Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Dean, School
of Engineering and Technology (SET), to take part in the SET Retreat, which took
place at Pinehurst on 28 September 2007. The emphasis of the workshop was on
“Academic Quality and Resources Planning” and aimed at examining this year’s
performance and towards identifying conditions that would help ensure the
sustainability of the present positive trends of the School. The August 2007 intake
for SET was almost 60% higher than that of August 2006, and he commended the
faculty and staff members in the School on this significant achievement.
Compared to the last five years (2003-2007), the August 2007 intake had the
highest pay-factor, highest FFE and annual revenue. The average GPA of the Thai
students was also the highest in the last five years. The School is expecting a net
operating surplus of more than Baht 24 million by the end of the year. The
strategic plan of the School for 2008 covers improvement and initiation of four
aspects, namely: quality of student supports; quality of capacity; income
generation; and new ventures. Each Field of Study / Program and Center also
made individual presentations, outlining their activities and programs, as well as
their expected surpluses at the end of the year, and plan for the year 2008
including proposed improvements in the academic quality and resources. The
promotion plans for 2008 in order to achieve the planned targets were also
elaborated in the presentations.

Inaugural Meeting of the SERD Board: I attended the first School Board
meeting of the School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) on
26 September 2007. The external Board members who participated were
distinguished AIT alumnus Dr. Subin Pinkayan (Chairman, Seatec Consulting
Engineers), Dr. Anders Granlund (Counsellor, Sida Regional Advisor on
Environment), and Ms. Thelma Kay (Director, Emerging Social Issues Division,
UNESCAP). The discussions by the members were on the following issues:
maintaining and uplifting quality, balancing the duality - excellence and building
capacity - in the region, exploring partnerships and new ventures, and profiling
SERD alumni to engage with the private sector.

Campus Management Outsourcing: Following the decision to outsource the
AIT cafeteria operations to Sodexho, we are also working on the proposal for the
outsourcing of the operations and maintenance of other AIT infrastructure and
related facilities. The Executive Committee of the AIT Board of Trustees, has
authorized the administration to proceed in discussing further details with
Sodexho and given the green light for the conduct of a more thorough assessment
by Sodexho based on which a detailed contractual agreement could be developed
and presented to the Executive Committee. AIT is currently in the process of
drawing up a list of expectations on AIT’s side, facilities and services to be
outsourced as well as expected results of the detailed needs assessment.

Former Executive Committee Chairman Appointed as Diplomatic Advisor to
the French Government: Ambassador Laurent Aublin, former trustee and
Chairman of the Executive Committee, has been appointed as Diplomatic Advisor
to the French Government, effective from 2 October 2007

Appointment of WAP Coordinator: Mr. Hans Guttman has joined the Institute
as the Wetlands Alliance Program (WAP) Coordinator, effective 24 September
2007. Mr. Guttman who is an AIT alumnus (1991) worked as Coordinator in the
Environment Programme, Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat,
Cambodia and Lao PDR prior to taking up his new position at AIT. He also
worked for several years in the AIT Aqua Outreach Program covering Lao PDR,
Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia before moving to the MRC. Mr. Guttman has
extensive experience in aquatic resources management for sustainable rural
development, having worked at the local, national and regional levels and also in
natural aquatic systems addressing production, biodiversity, rehabilitation and
resilience.
5. Conclusion
We need to start preparing and positioning AIT not for the coming few years only but
from a longer 20 to 25 year perspective. Looking back at the 50 years of history, AIT can
be called a success story. But this does not automatically guarantee the same level of
success into the future. AIT has changed little in terms of its fundamental product
offering (graduate degree programs and regional research). Change is inevitable. In order
to succeed in changing environment, multiple strategic initiatives need to be launched
based on the changing needs of the region, globalization of education / research and
competition for attracting talented students and research funding.
A successful postgraduate institution must be able to attract top students, top international
faculty, and have world class laboratories and facilities. Therefore, it is important for AIT
to find additional sources of revenue to effectively impart its postgraduate mandate by
complementing the revenue stream from teaching, by putting more efforts towards
revenue generation through research and services such as training activities / consultancy
services.
There is a need for a new strategy, especially in view of the change from direct to
bilateral support, and future risk of decreased aid-based funding resources to both AIT
and the region. With the shift to more bilateral funding, AIT will need to actively enhance
its presence in the region through establishment of centers and branches, and at the same
time strengthen its partnership with alumni especially in the public sector, in better
positioning AIT in the national development plans and agenda, as a development arm or
tool for partner countries.
At the same time, economically developed countries are reducing aid as the countries in
Asia cross the GDP threshold. Into the future it is likely that they will entirely leave,
shifting their development focus to countries such as Africa and other parts of the world,
or significantly reduce their level of support to the region which AIT currently serves.
Developmental aid into the future will be increasingly provided by emerging economic
powers of Asia such as: China, India, and the Middle-east etc. There has been an increase
in the support by Asian countries to AIT over the recent past such as from Vietnam,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc. which are becoming donors in their own right, which is also
evidence of the growing maturity of the development process in Asia as Asian
governments and other regional institutions assume a greater share of the region’s
capacity building and infrastructural development costs.
In the above scenario, it is likely that the new Asian economic powers will make use of
their own national institutions. Therefore, the strategy for AIT would be to network with
national universities and institutions along with other Asian partners. AIT is not operating
as a regular national university. Instead it is a network university with several owners
which all have a shared interest. In comparison with national universities in the emerging
economies like those in many parts of Asia, AIT will never be able to compete in terms of
sheer size and physical infrastructure. Yet, a regional institution like AIT has great
competitive advantages compared with the national ones.
Into the long term future, AIT must continue to strengthen and capitalize on its
uniqueness, and its capacity and agility to link together a wide range of international
partners, collaborating together in research, teaching and development activities. AIT is
among the small number of international universities that, in spite of their small size, has
played an important role in the development of international competence and capacity.
The size of AIT and the great diversity of its staff and faculty confer it the agility to be a
pioneering force, exploring and providing activities in newly emerging areas of
importance to Asia. Being an “Asian” Institute of Technology, there is a tremendous
opportunity and need for more Asian partner countries to take a lead role, and we must
increase our efforts in this direction, and take on a more proactive role in facilitating and
further strengthening AIT’s position in this regard.
Over the past two years, AIT has launched an array of initiatives in this direction that will
further strengthen the Institute’s position and ability to more effectively impart its mission
and objectives. Our combined efforts have started bearing positive results as evidenced
from the encouraging financial results of the past nine months of 2007. At the end of
September 2007 the net surplus of our core operating fund (Fund 10) stands at 176
million Baht which is roughly 80 million Baht higher than the previous year (95 million
Baht). The other operating fund of the Institute, namely, Fund 21 has also reported a
strong financial performance in comparison to that of last year, with an increase in the net
surplus by 18 million Baht (from 189 to 222 million Baht).
This is indeed a most significant achievement when compared to the financial
performance of the Institute in 2004 and 2005. To recapitulate, our operating losses in
Fund 10, for years 2004 and 2005, Baht 86 and Baht 128 million respectively, almost
wiped out the entire reserves of the Institute. Over the past two years, through various
tough but much needed measures we were able to turn the tide, and ended year 2006 with
a net surplus of approximately 12 million Baht.
We have journeyed through 9 months of our 2007 financial year already and achieved
significantly improved results despite difficult circumstances and hope to achieve a much
more improved year-end result for 2007. From the perspective of the original budget for
the whole of 2007, we have been slightly weaker on the income side but much stronger
and disciplined when it comes to cost control and expenditures. The major revenues for
2007 have already come in so we do not expect any significant increases in the revenue
stream for the remaining two months. Therefore, our emphasis and efforts must be
towards continuing the excellent progress we have made in controlling the costs. For the
first time in many years we can now start setting aside budget and planning for much
needed strategic investments and initiatives
We continue to scrutinize our current offerings for their relevance to prospective students
and financial viability. To this effect, we are pursuing a number of triple helix type
partnerships between academe, government, and industry focusing on the needs of the
region and stakeholders e.g. restructuring the governance of the Institute through the
creation of School and AIT Extension Advisory Boards; professional masters and
doctoral programs such as off-shore technology and management and hard disk drive
technology (partnership with Western Digital and Thailand Science Park); AIT-Ansell
leadership development programme; partnership with industry through joint research
projects; strengthening of postdoctoral fellowships at AIT; and engagement of senior
professors and retirees among others.
We are also concentrating our research on a limited number of topics in which it is
possible to demonstrate excellence and leadership in the region. A major thrust is planned
in the coming months to consolidate our efforts and raise funds for the thematic research
areas in the Institute. In addition, we also plan to launch the AIT Consultative service in
early 2008. In this regard the experiences of academic institutions in the region, the inputs
from alumni and other stake holders are being studied. Taking into account the large
number of developmental projects which are being carried out in the institute the special
needs for running, evaluating and compensating faculty and staff involved, are being
studied. It is most encouraging to note that from January- October 2007, there were 173
sponsored and contracted projects initiated by the faculty and staff with a total gross
budget of approximately 318 million Baht.
AIT is also actively pursuing ways in which it can better enhance its presence in the
region. Development of branches or centers in the region in partnership with the national
governments has strategic relevance for AIT and focus on specific knowledge areas that
capitalize on the strengths of AIT and of the partner institution, and support initiatives by
the partner governments. We have finalized the proposal for the establishment of an AIT
Center in Pakistan which is currently being reviewed by the Higher Education
Commission, and there are standing invitations from the government and AIT alumni to
also open AIT Centers in countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and India.
We are also expanding our geographical coverage with collaborations in Afghanistan,
Africa, Central Asia, the Middle-east etc. Our initiative in Afghanistan is in partnership
with the Ministry of Higher Education, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and World Bank
and aimed at supporting the strategic planning, and implementation of the development
and reform program of higher education institutions in Afghanistan. In partnership with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, AIT is organizing a workshop and forum which
will focus on business related aspects, and Asia-Africa collaboration in science and
technology. AIT together with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
(UNITAR) will also be organizing an ASEAN MDG Roundtable on the “Promotion and
Achievement of Millennium Development Goals through Education”. After a gap of many
years, we have re-engaged our cooperation with Taiwan which has been a longstanding
partner of AIT. Similarly, the alumni have been most supportive and instrumental in the
array of fund raising initiatives that AIT has been pursuing leading up to its golden
jubilee celebrations in 2009.
AIT houses such regional institutions as the UNEP, ADPC, WWF and Telecoms sans
Frontières which are actively working on various development issues of Asian countries.
The Institute is an affiliated institute of the United Nations University (UNU); regional
knowledge hub on reduce, reuse and recycle (3Rs), in collaboration between ADB,
UNEP, UN-ESCAP; UNESCO category II centers for water and nanotechnology,
UNIDO regional forum on best available techniques and best environmental practices;
regional support institution on sustainable land management (initiative being launched
with UNDP). AIT also has active partnerships with the private sector such as with Volvo
in accident research, AIT-IBM collaboration in the IBM Academic Initiative; hosting of a
Nokia Training Center in Telecommunications, and some other examples which are
highlighted (refer to examples of good practice). AIT places great value on strengthening
regional and global institutional bonds, collaboration and research, and organizations and
individuals are always welcome to explore partnership opportunities.
Other initiatives include the launching a special gender sensitivity workshop series for
members of the AIT community at all levels; launch of the extramural lecture series
inviting distinguished speakers from various fields; provision of laptop computers for all
AIT students through a partnership arrangement by a private partner company and
Institute subsidy; plans for outsourcing the maintenance and operations of the campus
infrastructure and related facilities e.g. cafeteria, faculty / staff housing, student
accommodation, AIT Conference Center, grounds and landscape etc in order to better
enable the Institute to focus on its core areas of teaching, research, training and outreach
among others.
As highlighted above, our overall priorities have been within the areas of cost control,
financial performance of the Institute, research capacity development with respect to both
AIT and the region, development of internal structures to better support a flexible
environment, strengthening of the quality of both administration processes and education
/ research outcomes, and launching of new entrepreneurial initiatives in addition to
activities aiming at strengthening the fund raising to the ensure long-term financial
stability of AIT.
We must continually work in this direction towards our goal to see a completely strong
and reinvigorated AIT. To this end, I am confident that under the new AIT Charter which
has recently been approved by the Board, and is attuned to the changing needs of the
region and higher learning, the Institute will be in a much stronger position to impart its
mandate of human resources and capacity building, together with its other international
partners.
In concluding, I would like to once again take this opportunity to express our gratitude
and sincere appreciation to all our alumni and partners for their continued strong support
and confidence in AIT.