Curious about where Thailand’s digital future is being shaped? Here at the KMITL Faculty of Information Technology, innovation thrives. Let me share its story.
KMITL, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, started as a telecommunications training center in 1960. Japan provided technical support. The center became the Nonthaburi Institute of Telecommunications. Later, it moved to Ladkrabang. It then became King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.
Engineering began here with a course in telecommunications. That was back in 1960. A technical agreement between Japan and Thailand helped establish the training center. Japan’s support continued for 40 years.
In 1971, the school became an institute of technology. Architecture, industrial education, science, and agricultural technology departments were established. Tokai University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the University of Electro-Communications assisted KMITL. They helped with university expansion, human resource development, and research promotion.
KMITL launched Thailand’s first doctoral degree in electrical engineering in 1982. Dr. Chom Kimpan earned the first Doctor of Engineering granted by a Thai university.
Through the “Partners Project” in 1992, joint experiments in applied technology took place. They used a satellite launched by Japan. These experiments covered distance medicine, distance education, and computer networking.
JICA supports KMITL in organizing “third-country training” in information technology. This program began in 1978. It’s now known as the Japan-Thai Partnership Program or JTTP. KMITL professors were dispatched to the National University of Laos. KMITL also accepted research students from universities in Laos.
More recently, KMITL partnered with the Thailand Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This joint effort includes the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency, and SIIT. Together, they offer an international master’s degree in Automotive Engineering.
The KMITL Research Center for Communication and Information Technology strengthens research and development capacity. It also boosts the graduate school program. The Ministry of University Affairs, KMITL, and a Japan-based advisory committee are implementing partners. Experts in information technology are dispatched. The project aims to establish an information technology research center. It also strengthens graduate school programs in information technology.
Through these facilities, KMITL forms partnerships with government and private industry. The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in Data Storage Technology and Applications increases research and development activities. It also enhances cooperation among researchers and the HDD industry in Thailand.
KMITL has grown to include many faculties and research centers. It has been recognized as one of the top science and technology universities in Thailand. This is partly due to Japan’s long-term assistance.
Now, KMITL continues to develop through its participation in the Southeast Asia Engineering Education Network. It strengthens links with other higher education institutions too. The KMITL Faculty of Information Technology is educating the next generation. They will shape Thailand’s technological landscape.