Mahidol top Thai uni for innovation

Mahidol University has been named Thailand’s top education institution for intellectual property innovation by a Spain-based ranking body.

Mahidol was rated 552nd in the world in the latest Scimago Institutions Rankings 2019 list but topped the domestic chart, said Prof Dr Banchong Mahaisavariya, acting president of the university.

Scimago Institutions Rankings is a science evaluation resource that assesses universities and research-focused institutions worldwide.

Scimago uses three criteria to judge institutions’ rankings for intellectual property innovation — research (50%), innovations (30%) and the impact of this research and innovations on society (20%).

Intellectual property is treated as a crucial area of work at Mahidol, he added.

“Aside from creating new knowledge in all study fields for the betterment of humankind, the university also ensures that novel knowledge can be further developed for commercial purposes,” he said.

Ranked first in the world by Scimago is the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, a government-run research institute.

Prof Dr Phattharachai Kiratisin, director of Mahidol’s Institute for Technology and Innovation Management (iNT), said the university supports researchers right up until the findings of their studies are commercialised.

The iNT assists researchers in securing sufficient funding for their projects, patenting their findings, marketing their innovations and commercialising them, he said.

The iNT also took third place in the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial & Engaged Universities’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support of the Year competition, among more than 300 organisations from over 20 countries, he said. The Netherlands-based Council promotes innovation and entrepreneurs.