On Monday, 27 October 2025, Dr. Surachai Sathitkunarat, Executive Director of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight (APEC CTF) and President of the Office of National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), represented Thailand as a distinguished speaker in Plenary Panel 1: Providing Policy-Relevant Anticipatory Evidence for Emerging Technology Policy at the OECD–UK Workshop titled “Is technology horizon scanning for you? Showcasing how horizon scanning is used in emerging technology policy.” The event was held at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris, France.

 

The opening panel brought together three international experts to discuss how anticipatory capacity can be strengthened to support evidence-based policy in an era of technological disruption. The panel emphasized two main objectives: (a) focusing discussions on policy makers’ needs rather than the supply of foresight intelligence, and (b) providing real-world examples of successful policy applications of foresight methods.

In his presentation, titled “Using Horizon Scanning for Strategic Technology Decision-Making,” Dr. Surachai highlighted Thailand’s experience in applying horizon scanning to identify signals and trends shaping the nation’s Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) Phase V (2025–2027) and to accelerate progress toward the Net Zero 2035 target. His approach, termed Future Radar, detects emerging technology, policy, market, and social signals that enable Thailand to anticipate change, strengthen competitiveness, and align strategic actions with future climate and innovation challenges.

Dr. Surachai explained how horizon scanning informs technology prioritization, helps optimize investment timing, enhances stakeholder engagement, and ensures integration with national policy frameworks such as Thailand’s NDC updates and the Climate Change Master Plan. The presentation underscored NXPO–APEC CTF’s effort to institutionalize a continuous horizon scanning system that supports Thailand’s long-term policy foresight and innovation strategy, in alignment with UNFCCC’s Technology Mechanism and international best practices.