PMU-C National Competitiveness Enhancement

PMU-C Competitiveness Translational Research

Supports Thai academic and industry teams through PMU-C, linking discoveries to market-facing innovation in priority sectors.

PMU-C (Program Management Unit for National Competitiveness Enhancement), a Thai government program management unit that transferred to the Research and Innovation Acceleration Agency for Competitiveness and Area Development (RCAD) on 1 January 2026, funds translational research that bridges Thai academic institutions and industry partners. The agency's mission is to close the gap between scientific research outputs and commercial application across seven designated national priority sectors: agriculture and food, tourism and creative economy, energy and biochemical-biomaterial, digital platform and AI, circular economy, future mobility and robotics-automation, and wellness and medicine. Past funded projects include a SARS-CoV-2 test kit, biosimilar pegfilgrastim, and xanthone-extract nutraceuticals from mangosteen pericarp — all demonstrating the applied, industry-relevant character of funded work.

Eligibility is open to Thai universities, research organizations, non-profit institutions, and for-profit companies, provided the project has an industry relevance dimension consistent with PMU-C's translational mandate. Individuals are not eligible as lead applicants. While industry co-investment is implied by the translational mandate, the exact co-financing percentage and eligibility thresholds are not published on the English-language PMU-C pages. Award amounts and TRL entry requirements are also not publicly disclosed in advance; these are specified per call. Applications are submitted through the central NRIIS national grant system (nriis.go.th) and the PMU-C funding portal (pmuc.or.th/en).

Calls are issued on a rolling basis across the year. Applicants should check the PMU-C funding portal for open call windows, as call-specific guidance — including award sizes, co-funding expectations, and sector restrictions — is published per announcement. Contact the PMU-C office at +66-2-109-5432 ext. 871-898 or saraban.pmuc@nxpo.or.th for current program details.