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Thailand

International Advocacy Toolkit
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Organizing Questions
  1. Which organization(s) are significant sources of research funding? 
  2. What does the normal science funding/policy decision-making process look like?
  3. Which patient advocacy groups, if any, are active in the area?
  4. Are there existing national/regional organizations that work towards improving research funding/policy?
  5. How do scientists currently contribute to the existing funding/policy-making/advocacy process, if at all? 
  6. When are science funding/policy decisions made? 
  7. What kinds of opportunities exist for scientists to interact with funders and policymakers?
1. Which organization(s) are significant sources of research funding? 

Local governments

 2. What does the normal science funding/policy decision-making process look like?
  • Which group/committee/person within the funding/policy organization makes the decisions?

Local research committee at university level or hospital level, occasionally national committee (difficult to get funding). This is another committee which is different from the Ethics Committee in each level.

  • What are the criteria the funding/policy organization(s) use to make their decisions?

Relevant research questions which can potentially answer national unmet need.

3. Which patient advocacy groups, if any, are active in the area?

There are some Thai NGOs acted as patient advocacy groups, however, they are not specific to ophthalmology. They usually take care of patients’ rights and benefits in general.

4. Are there existing national/regional organizations that work towards improving research funding/policy?

Yes, there are national organizations for this purpose. The thing is it takes too long time, such as more than a year, for the organizations to approve a project even though the funding provided is much higher than other sources. 

5. How do scientists currently contribute to the existing funding/policy-making/advocacy process, if at all? 

They can be presented at a meeting for defending their budget proposal.

6. When are science funding/policy decisions made? 

If the funding is from the government (which usually is) the budgets provided will be according to a fiscal year starting from October to September of the following year. The decision on the budget should be made no later than Q2 of the same year to use the money from October of that year until September of the following year.

7. What kinds of opportunities exist for scientists to interact with funders and policymakers?
  • Can scientists invite decision makers to their lab/institution to see their work firsthand?

Yes, although this rarely happens.

  • Do the funding/policy organizations hold open meetings or solicit comments from the public that researchers can participate in?

There is occasionally public hearing for some large research projects, but usually no.

Contributors

Paisan Ruamviboonsuk, MD

Thailand Toolkit