The hub will serve as a space for students and people with creative ideas to come up with innovative ideas, according to CU rector Bundit Euaarporn.

Chula Alumni Association president Thewin Wongwanich said Thailand must step forward to become an innovation society.

Urging universities to promote technology and research to allow creative people to expand their ideas into something useful, he urged all sides to embrace the change and adjust the environment to accommodate learning and thinking outside the box.

President and CEO of Siam Cement Plc Kan Trakulhoon, in his capacity as head of the private sector in the Pracha Rath steering committee on innovation and productivity, said Thai universities had many innovations but could not make good use of them. He said this was because there was a lack of cooperation among faculties and other universities. He said lecturers must allow students to be creative and innovative.

President and CEO of True Group Supachai Chearavanont said Thailand would emerge as an innovation society if it were more openminded and able to admit failure especially in the education system.

The assistant secretarygeneral of Chaipattana Foundation, Lalit Thanomsing, said His Majesty the King had an unprecedented idea of building a dam to block a limestone cave to store underground water 30 years ago. The villagers said the dam helped them avoid water shortage. He urged people to follow HM the King’s example in developing ideas from something that already exists.

Suthichai Yoon, adviser to the editorial board of Nation Multimedia Group, said innovations started with changeembracing individuals.

Thai culture, especially the working culture at organisations, partially contributed to obstacles to innovation, he said. While familylike closeness and a sense of consideration among workers were good things, they could cloud work efficiency.

To become an innovation society, all sectors must urge working people to adjust their thinking, embrace changes and create new things that would be useful and in demand, he added.