Leading University Creating Innovation for Sustainable Future
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
2026 International Green Gown Award: Benefitting Society
Winner “Living Craft: Reviving Benjarong Heritage in the New Generation”
Cultural sustainabiity projects led by Suthawan Thammasangwan from the Faculty of Communication Arts, who has been working on preserving national heriage – Benjarong – was selected as Winner in the “Benefitting Society” category of the 2026 International Green Gown Award (IGGA). Benjarong, Thailand’s 300-year-old five-colour ceramic art, renowned for its intricate craftsmanship — is a cultural heritage on the verge of extinction. Practised today by only a handful of communities nationwide, Don Kai Dee village in Samut Sakhon is one of the last remaining sites of authentic Benjarong production, yet the younger generation do not appreciate the work of this local craftsmanship. Siam University addressed this gap and created a project bringing their master artisans to share their knowledge with three small schools in the area. This cultural transmission programme gives Benjarong a living presence in contemporary society — not merely preserved in ceremonies, but actively practised and adapted by the next generation as part of their everyday identity. Activities are co-designed with artisans, teachers, and students; embedded directly into the school curriculum; and built for replication without permanent funding. Phase 1 results showed that 95% of students developed pride in local wisdom, and two of three schools independently incorporated the activities into their teaching plans.
National Awards in Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (CWIE)
The Office of Cooperative Education at Siam University held the Outstanding CWIE Project Competition for the 2026 on 11 March 2026 to be a platform to present work based on their practical experience in workplaces, under the framework of Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (CWIE). It also served to select outstanding projects to represent Siam University in the competition at the network level.
Later, Siam University, in collaboration with Mahidol University, hosted the selection and judging of outstanding Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (CWIE) projects for the Lower Central Region Network for the 2026 academic year on 31 March 2026. Dr Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, President of Siam University and Chair of the Lower Central Region CWIE Network, formally opened the event. The event gave students from higher education institutions in the network a platform to present work based on their professional placement experience and to exchange knowledge. It also served to select outstanding projects to represent the network at the national level. In this event, Siam University received five awards in total:
First Prize, Social Sciences and Humanities: Natthawiyakorn Jeerasuntornwet, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Business English Communication programme
First Prize, Outstanding International Category: Kodchaphorn Audyana, International Business Management programme, International College
First Prize, Outstanding Large Enterprise: Xenix Aerospace (Thailand) Co., Ltd., nominated by Siam University
First Runner-Up, Outstanding Innovation: Sunanta Rojthamrong, Faculty of Information Technology, Animation and Creative Media programme
Honourable Mention, Outstanding Science and Technology: Thanakrit Angrattasakul, Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering programme
The first-prize winners in each category were selected to represent the Lower Central Region Network at the national level, where they could demonstrate their capabilities and extend the knowledge gained from professional practice to a wider forum.
At national level, Ms Kodchaphorn Audyana and Ms Natthawiyakorn Jeerasuntornwet were subsequently chosen to compete in the national CWIE 2026 competition organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI). Ms Kodchaphorn Audyana’s CWIE project won the First Runner-Up award in Category 7: International CWIE Outstanding Project, held on 15 May 2026 at MHESI.This outstanding accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance, and commitment of both the student and her academic advisor, Aj. Saif Ur Rahman, and mentors Dr. Sumaia Farzana and Dr. Khwanchol Kampan for their continuous mentorship and guidance throughout the journey.
CWIE Competitions started from university level, to regional, and national level.
Green Business Plan Team Receives Award at the UBI–Alpha Business Contest 2026
The Science, Research and Innovation Promotion and Utilization Division of the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), in collaboration with the University Business Incubator (UBI) network, organised the UBI–Alpha Business Contest 2026. The contest is a platform for developing the business ideas of emerging entrepreneurs supported by university business incubators. The regional round for the Central and Eastern regions took place on 26–27 January 2026 to select teams for the national final.
The first day consisted of a bootcamp and series of workshops designed to move participants from a classroom setting into a simulated business environment. Industry practitioners led sessions on several key areas: storytelling techniques for persuasive presentation, marketing trends for 2026 in a rapidly changing market, and a featured session titled “Pitching like a Pro.” In this session, secondary and university students took part in an “Empathy Game” to build a deeper understanding of customer pain points. A “Meet Your Mentor” session followed, in which alumni and experts gave individual feedback to prepare teams for the pitching round. On the second day, designated Pitching Day, teams presented their proposals in three categories: Future Food, Green and Climate Change Solutions, and AI and Digital. Teams competed for places in the national round.
The team UBI Siam Think Alpha, made up of students from Siam University together with students from Wat Nong Khaem Secondary School, jointly developed a green business concept. The team received an Honourable Mention in the “Green and Climate Change Solutions” category at the regional level. As a representative of the Central and Eastern regions, it advanced to the final round of 15 teams, selected from participating universities across the country.
The national round was held from 6 to 8 March 2026 as part of the One Stop Open House 2026, under the theme “Open Mind, Open Future,” at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), Bangkok. The competition aims to develop the capabilities of new entrepreneurs from university business incubators nationwide. It seeks to equip students with future skills, strengthen the potential of Thailand’s new generation, and prepare them to become entrepreneurs in an innovation-driven economy, thereby contributing to the country’s future economic development.
At the national level, Siam Think Alpha of Siam University again received an Honourable Mention for its green business proposal, “Siam Wealthtree.” The proposal is a digital infrastructure platform for measuring, verifying, and managing data on real trees, transforming this information into auditable records. The platform is intended to support the development of the green economy and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Green Jobs
Siam University thus has administered a survey on “green jobs” of our newly graduates In 2025, the total number of graduates in the second semester was 953. When we did a survey on green jobs, there was only 309 respondents or 32.42% of the total number of graduates due to the fact that this is not a normal time for surveying (Normally, we will administer survey during graduation ceremony in December). Among 309 respondents, 233 (75.40%) reported that their jobs are related to “green jobs”. Hence 75.40% of 953 = 719. It is noted that most of them are involved in SDG 3 Health and Well-being.
Number and Percentage of graduates with green jobs
Academic Year of Graduation | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025✔ |
# of graduates with green jobs | 1,024 | 1,155 | 1,015 | 719✔✔ |
Total # of graduates | 1,460 | 1,401 | 1,496 | 953 |
Percentage of number of graduates with green jobs | 70.14 | 82.44 | 67.85 | 75.40 |
✔The total number of graduates was reported by the Office of Registration as of May 26, 2026.
✔✔ Calculated from the survey of graduates which was done in March-May, 2026.
