OSMEP, Silpakorn University partnership to strengthening digital content SMEs
The initiative will be one of Thai’s economy growth drivers to compete in the global market.
OSMEP joins with Silpakorn University to launch “Digital Content Cluster Day” to promote Thai digital content industry’s potential. The event will provide business matching and other activities to help Thai digital content network under the SME 4.0 Cluster 2018 initiative. The digital content industry in Thailand is forecast to reach Bt100 million. SMEs urged to own the copyrights so they can be sustainable.
Suwanchai Lohawatanakul, director of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP), said that OSMEP, Silpakorn University, and SME Digital Content Cluster has launched “Digital Content Cluster Day” to promote the potential of the digital content industry. The event is also a platform for business negotiation between entrepreneurs to lead the development of cluster policies and provide guidelines for promoting SMEs to be sustainable. The fair also supports the “Thailand Digital” policy that pushes Thailand to become the center of the digital content industry in the future.
“SMEs are key enabling elements to drive growth in the country’s economy. The development of entrepreneurs by creating a strong group or network on the concept of cluster development is a tool that OSMEP brings to help SMEs. The OSMEP aims to stimulate cohesion between entrepreneurs. We are committed to supporting the development of SMEs in all dimensions, especially in innovation and technology knowledge to support the development of products and services, including marketing channel development to meet the needs of the market.” Suwanchai said.
About 400 participants or about 60-70 SMEs are targeted to participate in the project. The event ”Digital Content Cluster Day” is one of the activities for support Thai digital content network under SME Cluster 2018 initiative — the SMEs network support program for 2018.
Asst. Prof. Somsak Chartnampet, Dean of Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Silpakorn University said that this cooperation is a synergy from the government and the education sector to support and promote SMEs of the digital content industry in Thailand. This will lead to the creation of a network of SME entrepreneurs, which is one of the key sectors driving the economy. As the government continued to committed to helping promote and support digital content SMEs, this partnership will help SMEs in term of human resource development, also a center for knowledge development and staffing for the digital content industry.
“The project preparation stimulates the link between entrepreneurs to meet the needs of the market. We have focused on helping entrepreneurs in the network to compete for both in the domestic and international markets by bringing innovation and technology to support the development of products and services. Including the development of marketing channels proactively through the activities, it also creates awareness of Thai products to both domestic and foreign consumers. As an institution, we aim to improve SMEs’ knowledge and efficiency to produce personnel to meet the needs of the industry, “said Somsak.
Asst. Prof. Nathaporn Karnjanapoomi, Silpakorn University said that the project has developed Digital Content Cluster consists of the copyright industry network character, animation, and the computer graphics services in platform Animation Project Pitching. SMEs would build creativity, animation, scriptwriting, and animation by presenting works to investors, media and related organizations.
The event also provides business matching activities to connect character networks, licensing and CG Services with buyers and industry groups. The seminar and Web Portal and Facebook Pages would be held as a medium to promote the access to entrepreneurs.
The digital content industry in Thailand would account for Bt100 million. To meet the target. the agency is preparing to promote the network of industry operators, Character Licensing Animation and CG Service; there are activities in incubation, seminar, training of each group starting from April to September 2018.
There is also Animation Project Pitching that would provide an opportunity for animation creators with presentations to investors, media and related organizations as well as business matching events to connect character licensing and CG Service networks to buyers and industry groups.
Based on the survey by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), the animation industry in 2017 is worth Bt4,037 million and is expected to reach Bt4,441 million in 2018. Following by the character industry would account for Bt1,848 million, and is expected to reach Bt1,998 million in 2018, driven by the growth of digital media and the digital content industry.
“Thai entrepreneurship is considered potential. Several organizations work and employment produces a lot of foreign work which adds to the revenue. But if the entrepreneur wants to secure and sustainable. Copyright is the key to expand the business into other industries. Therefore, it is recommended that Thai entrepreneurs to own copyrights so they can be sustainable.” said Assoc. Prof. Nathaporn.
