An Interview With Akkharawit Kanjana-Opas 

March 2022

By Catherine Saez, WIPO

Can you introduce yourself, your personal and professional history?

Dr. Akkharawit Kanjana-Opas (AKO): My name is Akkharawit Kanjana-Opas but since it is a Thai name and very long, I go by the nickname ‘O’. I was born and raised in Thailand. My first degree is in food science and technology, and I went on to pursue a Masters’ in biotechnology, followed by a Ph.D. in Marine Chemistry at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego under a full scholarship from the Thai government.

When I came back to Thailand, some 20 years ago, I was a university professor and a researcher. Some eight years ago, I was asked to do a secondment at the Ministry of Science and Technology to launch a program linking research institutions, universities, and the private sector, with a focus on the food industry. This led to the creation of Food Innopolis, the government office linking domestic and international companies working in the food sector, and universities and research institutions in Thailand. Food Innopolis later fell under the umbrella of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), for which I am currently Assistant Vice President. I also head Food Innopolis. The research focus of the Agency includes computer electronics, material science, nanotechnology, energy, agriculture, and biotechnology.

What is the specific role of Food Innopolis?

Food Innopolis is pretty much like Food Valley in the Netherlands and the Agro-food Park in Denmark. It is a food innovation cluster, a national platform to support the private sector investing in Thailand to access and use technological facilities to conduct their food-related research and development (R&D).  Food Innopolis is a nationwide program with 15 satellite offices throughout the country.

Food Innopolis is also building the capacities of universities and government research centers working on food and agriculture so that their research is more available to the private sector. We work with SMEs and start-ups, providing training, capacity building, research funding, advanced research support including equipment testing, tax regimes, and policy planning.

What brought you to the food and agricultural sector?

I was born and raised in a family with a cultural attachment to food. I became interested in food and that is the reason why I went and studied food science and technology in the first place. When the Ministry of Science and Technology was looking at which industry had the best chance to contribute to Thailand’s development in the next decade, we realized that the food industry would be a good candidate. The food industry is quite important for the country and Thailand ranks 13 in the countries that export most food products on the global market. The industry employs some 20 million people in Thailand and food-related companies (excluding restaurants and hotels) make up about 25 percent of all companies in the country. We are seeking to increase the competitiveness of the food sector.

How important would you say food and agriculture research is for the future of food and agriculture, and its sustainability?

Over the next decade, the global food demand will strongly increase to ensure food security for a growing population and at the same time, a world ageing population will affect agricultural productivity. Climate change and the risk of pandemics will only add to the challenges threatening the world food system. We need R&D and innovation to increase productivity from farm to table. For example, we need to increase the production of food protein, as we cannot continue relying on protein from livestock for environmental and health reasons so we need to conduct R&D to explore alternative sources of protein. We also need to understand better the needs of the ageing population, how they feel about, and taste their food, to sustain their appetite.  Food can also be a precious ally to health so we work on probiotics, on the microbiome, on food supplements to strengthen the immune system, and combine food R&D with neuroscience. Food will no longer be a commodity or a mass product as we are going towards more personalized food.

We also have to produce our food in an environmentally sustainable manner, respecting life below water, and life on land.

Can you tell more about the focus of NSTDA on customer behavior analytics, optimized waste production, and smart farming technologies?

Everyone now is pretty much online and people use social media in many ways. Scientists and behavior specialists using social listening and artificial intelligence can analyze and predict what people like, need, or want to customize food products or food research accordingly.  Environmental issues are now center stage and we are concerned about plastics, food waste. Maybe we don’t have to increase food production but we have to find a way to use technology to limit waste and rebalance food intake and distribution. Hundreds of millions of people in the world are undernourished while two billion people are overweight and one-third of the food produced worldwide goes to waste.

Of course, climate change is affecting the open farming systems and will translate into shrinking global arable land. Smart farming technology, using sensors, artificial intelligence, and robots is one of the key solutions to increase productivity, in particular countering the effect of the lack of replacement of the aging farming population.

How can research be best used to deliver products?

Researchers tend to do their research based on academic merit. They want to have the best outcome, the first discovery in their field. They are not in tune with society and customers’ needs. So most of the research does not reach commercialization. This is a gap that needs to be addressed in many countries, especially in Thailand. At Food Innopolis we are trying to change the mindset and bring researchers and industry together. Industry can explain what are the demands, the problems, the needs and the trends of the market.  Researchers can help solve those problems and answer those needs and demands.

The government can provide incentives. For example, we now ask granting agencies to match the funding of researchers to their ability to have an industrial partner. If researchers want to grow in their career, they have to find a research question in line with the realities of the market and in collaboration with private sector partners.

What can hinder the delivery of novel products to the market?

Besides the researchers’ mindset, other factors can hinder the delivery of novel products to the market, such as the lack of awareness of intellectual property rights. Researchers feel protected because they are conducting their research within the university or a research institution, but if they want their research to be commercialized, they need to know if they have the freedom to operate. In other words, whether their research is infringing someone’s intellectual property. Another factor is the only nascent ability of many universities to scale up the research to go from lab to industrial scale.

What role can intellectual property play in the delivery of novel products to the market?

Intellectual property plays a key role in research and innovation, ensuring its strength, protection, and its competitiveness. Intellectual property gives the inventor or the owner of that research and innovation a market advantage and that is a big incentive. The industry does not want to commercialize anything that someone else or their competitors can copy or infringe overnight.  Intellectual property will have a growing role in research and innovation, at least in Thailand, strengthening competitiveness and creating value. Even if patents expire, a strong branding image will ensure the customer associates the brand with the original product. Intellectual property is also key to attracting funding, as investors will only engage if innovations are protected.

What is the role of IP in technology transfer?

Technology transfer is a new field for Thailand. We just adopted a law last year that is similar to the United States Bayh-Dole Act. The Act will stimulate technology transfer and intellectual property capacity in the country.  There are many options for technology transfer for universities, using intellectual property and licensing.  Universities like to retain their intellectual property to a certain extent because it is an indicator of the research output. Joint IP ownership between industry and universities is gaining in popularity. It is a win-win situation and stimulates the use of IP. Most major research-oriented and technology public universities in Thailand have a technology transfer office but the community and social public universities are lagging in terms of capabilities and quality. We are increasing staff capacities and that is why we work with WIPO on many projects

How can research institutions and universities make the best use of IP?

Before starting a research project researchers can look at patent databases and find out about what is already out there and potential collaborations with other researchers or the private sector. Once the research is underway, they have to consider the protection of their invention to make it more attractive to investors and the private sector. Research institutes can publicize IP assets to stakeholders.

Do you foresee any major changes in food and agriculture technology in the near future? And if so which ones?

I think the major change will be personalized food, in particular 3D printed food. When I wake up in the morning I will just go to my 3D printer, which will look like a microwave oven, and punch options to get my breakfast.  I will even be able to use my mobile phone to control the 3D printer in my kitchen. The printer will use the ingredients stored behind the machine and print my meal, tailored to the way I want, in the portion that I want. I foresee that this kind of technology will be available within 10 years. Restaurants will use 3D printing too.