16.3.1 Provide expert advice to government
Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) plays an important role in providing expert advice to government at the local, regional, and national levels through its academic staff. This advice takes several forms: participation in government committees and advisory bodies, formal agreements that give government direct access to university research and evidence, consultancy projects commissioned through government procurement processes, research that responds to national needs and produces evidence-based policy recommendations, and support for the participatory development of national plans. Because SWU’s staff bring diverse expertise in law, political science, economics, education, engineering, public health, behavioral science, child and youth protection, and urban well-being, the university is able to work closely with public institutions to strengthen evidence-informed policymaking, the rule of law, and access to justice, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Local level
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA): As academic lead and convener of the SOOK ASOK Network, SWU provides expertise and evidence to the BMA on improving the Asok district. The network's needs assessment of 555 residents, business operators, and space users identified pedestrian safety as the area's most pressing concern, and the sidewalk design co-developed with network partners was adopted by the BMA, as confirmed by the Governor of Bangkok during a site inspection on March 19, 2025. On September 24, 2025, the President of SWU chaired SOOK ASOK Network Meeting No. 4/2025 with the BMA Public Works Department, the Watthana District Office, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, and five metropolitan police stations to review the BMA's road surface and sidewalk repair project on Asok Montri Road.
Sources: SOOK ASOK Network meeting No. 4/2025; SOOK ASOK Network posts of February 6, March 19, and July 22, 2025 (https://www.facebook.com/WELOVESOOKASOK)
Regional (Provincial) Level
Ministry of Justice, Nakhon Nayok Province: Mr. Isaras Sukchom, a teacher at Ongkharak Demonstration School, was appointed as a member of the Child and Youth Welfare Committee of the Nakhon Nayok Juvenile Observation and Protection Center under Ministry of Justice Order No. 224/2025, dated October 31, 2025. In this role, he advises the center on the welfare, rehabilitation, and protection of children and youth in the juvenile justice system, contributing to child-friendly justice and the protection of children's rights in the province.
Committee meeting at the Nakhon Nayok Juvenile Observation and Protection Center (left) and the list of appointed committee members attached to Ministry of Justice Order No. 224/2025 (right, in Thai)
Nakhon Nayok Province: Asst. Prof. Dr. Teepapipat Lertvarayut of the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Physical Education, Srinakharinwirot University, was appointed as a member of the Nakhon Nayok Provincial Subcommittee on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Environment. In this role, he provides expert advice to the province on occupational safety, health, and working conditions, helping to strengthen the protection of workers’ rights and safe, decent work environments in the province.
National level
Engineering Institute of Thailand under H.M. the King’s Patronage (EIT): Assoc. Prof. Dr. Panuwat Joyklad, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, was appointed Chair of the Railway Engineering Committee of the Engineering Institute of Thailand under H.M. the King’s Patronage (EIT) for 2025. In this role, he provides expert advice and guidance to public and state-supervised higher education institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) that offer programs in railway engineering. This advice helps strengthen the quality and relevance of railway engineering education nationwide, supporting the development of the skilled workforce needed for Thailand’s national rail infrastructure.
Senate of Thailand: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Poom Moolsilpa of the Department of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, was appointed as a member of the Senate Research and Development Committee. The committee’s powers and duties are to:
Set policy for the Senate’s research and development;
Select research topics proposed by the President of the Senate, senators, Senate committees, or the Office of the Secretary-General of the Senate, and select research projects proposed by institutions or academics;
Determine fees, remuneration, expenses, and awards for each research project;
Select research outputs for publication and dissemination;
Appoint subcommittees or working groups to carry out tasks assigned by the committee; and
Report the results of the Senate’s research and development to the President of the Senate.
Through this role, he helps shape the research agenda that provides evidence for the Senate’s legislative and oversight work, strengthening evidence-based lawmaking at the national level.
Source: Senate Research and Development Committee
Photos of the Senate Research and Development Committee at work
Secretariat of the Senate: On May 14, 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the Senate on the use of academic work and research findings in the legislative process. The agreement sets up a formal channel through which SWU shares its research, academic expertise, and evidence with the Senate and its committees, to inform planning, development recommendations, and legislative deliberations on national development priorities. It also brings SWU researchers and academics together with public officials, linking research with public decision-making. Through this agreement, SWU provides evidence to the national legislature and supports evidence-informed lawmaking.
Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of the Senate and Srinakharinwirot University on the use of academic work and research findings in the legislative process, 14 May 2025 (top); the exchange of the signed agreements (bottom left) and representatives of the participating organisations (bottom right).
King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI): Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chompunuch Kosalakorn Permpoonwiwat was appointed Director of KPI’s Executive Program in Public Economics for Senior Executives, Cohort 24. The program develops senior executives from government agencies, state enterprises, independent organizations, and the private sector to apply economic knowledge to policy development.
Source: King Prajadhipok’s Institute, appointment of the Program Director, Executive Program in Public Economics for Senior Executives, Cohort 24
Office of the Official Information Commission (OIC): Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chompunuch Kosalakorn Permpoonwiwat of the Faculty of Economics was appointed as a member of the Information Disclosure Tribunal for Science, Technology, Industry, and Agriculture under the Office of the Official Information Commission. The tribunal rules on appeals against government agencies’ decisions to withhold official information. In this role, she provides expert judgment that upholds the public’s right of access to information and strengthens transparency and accountability in government.
Source: Office of the Official Information Commission, Information Disclosure Tribunals; photo of the tribunal at work
Ministry of Justice (Office of Justice Affairs): In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) served as the lead academic institution providing research-based policy advice to the Ministry of Justice for the National Master Plan for Justice Administration. The project, “Strategic Plan for Driving the National Master Plan for Justice Administration No. 4 (2023–2026), Revised Edition”, was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Preechaya Nakfon, Head of the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences. The process adopted a participatory approach, engaging Ministry of Justice executives, public networks, and civil society organizations to identify priorities and contribute recommendations to the master plan. On August 1, 2025, SWU and the Office of Justice Affairs held a stakeholder forum on the project at TK Palace & Convention, Bangkok. By connecting academic expertise with government policymaking and stakeholder participation, SWU helped shape a more inclusive and responsive framework for justice administration that promotes access to justice, effective institutions, and participatory decision-making.
Stakeholder forum on the Strategic Plan for Driving the National Master Plan for Justice Administration No. 4 (2023–2026), Revised Edition, August 1, 2025, TK Palace & Convention, Bangkok (top); the project team at the forum (bottom left) and at the Ministry of Justice
(bottom right)
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ee5oyVsMo/
Conclusion
In 2025, SWU provided expert advice to government at the local, regional, and national levels in all three forms: policy guidance, such as the research-based advice to the Ministry of Justice on the National Master Plan for Justice Administration; participation in committees, such as the Senate Research and Development Committee, provincial committees in Nakhon Nayok, and the Information Disclosure Tribunal; and provision of evidence, such as the SOOK ASOK Network’s needs assessment that informed the BMA’s sidewalk improvements and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the Senate, which channels SWU research into the legislative process. Together, these contributions support evidence-informed policymaking, effective institutions, and the rule of law, in line with SDG 16.