In 2018, Thailand launched the Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) Research Network, bringing together quantum researchers from universities and research institutes across the country. According to a review published by the AAPPS Bulletin, the then-Thailand Research Fund (which later became part of Thailand Science Research and Innovation, or TSRI) convened the network to collaborate in formulating strategies and action plans for quantum technology.
Researchers from the QIST network set about defining a roadmap covering three areas: quantum computing and simulation, quantum communication, and quantum metrology and sensing. At the time, approximately 200 researchers and new PhD graduates across Thai universities and research institutes were working on quantum technologies.
Quantum labs were being established at multiple institutions, including Chiang Mai University, Suranaree University of Technology, Mahidol University, Prince of Songkla University, Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, and the National Institute of Metrology Thailand (NIMT). The QIST network represented the first coordinated effort by the Thai government to organize its quantum research community at the national level.