1. Establishment of SEA-ROAD

The SEA-ROAD was one of two OAD regional nodes formally established during the IAU General Assembly in Beijing in August 2012, and was assigned to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT), in Chiang Mai.  Working closely with other 9 offices and language centres throughout the world, SEA-ROAD is committed to the development of astronomy in ASEAN nations, namely:

• Union of Myanmar
• Thailand
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic
• Kingdom of Cambodia
• Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Malaysia
• Republic of Singapore
• State of Brunei Darussalam
• Philippines
• Republic of Indonesia.

In line with IAU policy, and in conjunction with the OAD, the SEA-ROAD is responsible for over-viewing and assisting in the development of the following areas of astronomical activity in these ten Southeast Asian nations:

1. University research and teaching (both undergraduate and graduate) in astronomy.
2. Teaching of astronomy in schools.
3. The training of teachers in astronomy.
4. Increasing astronomy awareness among the general public.

2. Host Institute

The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand was established by Parliament in 2005 in order to use astronomy as a vehicle to promote science and technology at universities, and among school children and the general public. 

The NARIT headquarters are located in Thailand?s second-largest city, Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, where there are close links with the astronomers at Chiang Mai University.

The Institute maintains the 2.4-m Thai National Telescope, which is located near Chiang Mai close to the summit of Doi Inthanon, Thailand?s highest mountain.  This telescope offers Thai and overseas astronomers facilities with which to carry out cutting edge astronomical research.  The NARIT staff include a number of Thai and overseas research astronomers who work in a range of different fields of astronomy.

In order to promote astronomy in schools and among the public NARIT has a large education and outreach section, and is in the process of establishing a network of five regional astronomy education centres throughout Thailand.

NARIT also maintains a watching brief over the national development of astronomy in Thailand, with radio astronomy flagged as one of the growth areas in the future.

3. Volunteers

The greatest resource that will enable the OAD and SEA-ROAD to achieve the vision of Astronomy for a Better World is volunteers.  Whether these come in the form of professionals, amateurs, educators, students or members of the public, any form of assistance from anyone anywhere in the world will be appreciated. If you are interested

4. Partners

The SEA-ROAD is always open to partnerships with other organisations wishing to be proactive in the development of astronomy.  Remember, the whole is always greater than the sum of the component parts!

In Thailand, for example, NARIT is already working in close collaboration with various universities, and at an international level it has Memoranda of Understanding with various observatories and universities, all of which directly benefit the SEA-ROAD.  Further networking and partnerships are envisaged.

If your organisation would like to partner with the SEA-ROAD please contact us.

Funding Opportunities

1. IAU Funding

Annual Call for Proposals

The IAU has always funded several projects related to astronomy-for-development activities.  In the era of the OAD and in implementing the Strategic Plan, the IAU now allocates these funds via the Task Forces.  This ensures a more strategic approach to using astronomy for development with input from experienced international experts.  The funding cycle is an annual one with funding allocations announced in December for the next calendar year in each of the three respective sectors (universities and research, children and schools, and public outreach).  Funds have been provisionally allocated to the Task Forces for the 2018 Call for Proposals but final amounts provided to each Task Force will be determined by the IAU Extended Development Oversight Committee (EDOC) and depend on the quality and relevance of the proposals received.

Although the spirit of the OAD is to be as flexible and unbureaucratic as possible in order to ensure maximum benefit from the funds available, it is still important for proposers to provide the detail requested by the dates indicated in order for proposals to be assessed fairly and in a timely way.  Projects which are not funded directly by the IAU but which are still ranked highly by the task forces go onto a wish list for which the OAD continues to search for funds throughout the year.

Please view the 2018 Call for Proposals by clicking on the link below:

Call for Proposals 2018

However, please note that the deadline has now passed and proposals have been officially endorsed. The next call will be early 2019.

2. IAU Task forces

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), through its Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), has established the three Task Forces which will drive global activities using astronomy as a tool to stimulate development.  These Task Forces are: (i) Astronomy for Universities and Research; (ii) Astronomy for Children and Schools; and (iii) Astronomy for the Public.

The Task Forces are made of groups of experts in their field who give their time voluntarily to advise on and coordinate projects in the respective targeted areas of development.  They are selected, as far as possible, on the basis of their skills, prior knowledge, experience, geographic locations and cultural diversity.  After a lengthy nomination and selection process, approved by the Development Oversight Committee of the IAU, we are pleased to announce the names of the members of the three Task Forces.  These individuals, together with the many passionate volunteers they will work with, will contribute to the vision of Astronomy for a Better World!

Task Force 1: Universities and Research

Current Members

• Nicole van der Bliek (Chile/Netherlands)
• Stella Kafka (USA)
• Jean-Pierre de Greve (Belgium)
• Michele Gerbaldi (Co-Chair – France)
• Richard de Grijs (China)
• Edward Guinan (Co-Chair – USA)
• Roger Hajjar (Lebanon)
• Edward Jurua (Uganda)
• Hakim Malasan (Indonesia)

10Shengbang Qian (China)

11 Ravi Sheth (ICTP/Italy)

Task Force 2: Children and Schools

Current Members

• Jen Gupta (UK)
• Edward Gomez (Co-chair – UK)
• Robert Hollow (Australia)
• Ofodum Chukwujekwu Nworah (Nigeria)
• Amelia Ortiz-Gil (Co-chair – Spain)
• Tsolmon Renchin (Mongolia)
• Lina Canas (OAO/Japan)
• Linda Strubbe (Canada/USA)

9 Akihiko Tomita (Japan)

Task Force 3: Public Outreach

Current Members

• Megan Argo (Commission 55/UK)
• Sze-leung Cheung (OAO/HK)
• Thilina Heenatigala (Sri Lanka)
• Brooke Simmons (UK)
• Carolina Odman (Co-Chair – South Africa/EU)
• German Puerta (Colombia)
• Kumiko S. Usuda (Co-chair – Japan/USA)
• Kimberly Arcand (US)

Projects and Activities in 2019

Related Information and Networking

1. ITCA
2. SEAAN
3. SEAYAC

Contact Us

For further information, please email Mr. Setthawut  Thongmee (setthThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Mr. Setthawut Thongmee

National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand

260 M.4, Donkaew,

Mae Rim, Chiang Mai 50180

Thailand. Tel: 053 121268-9

ITCA is run by the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Public Organization) or NARIT and situated right in Princess Sirindhorn AstroPark, the headquarters of NARIT in the beautiful city in the North of Thailand – Chiang Mai where Thai National Observatory and the soon-to-be-completed Thai National Radio Observatory are located.

We tailor our programmes to suit a wide range of audiences, ranging from students from primary schools to high schools. University students and graduate students are also our main targets. Abundant schools and trainings are tailor-made for early-career researchers or even for those who are experienced and still in need of sources of inspiration from a pool of knowledge garnered by our homegrown and allied world-renowned figures in different fields. 

ITCA’s main tasks shall revolve around schools, trainings, workshops, etc., that emerge out of the concept “Astronomy for All” – from astronomy for the very young age to early-career astronomers or even astronomy for science teachers that seek the platform of tailored astronomy education. At ITCA, we have experienced researchers and educators in different fields together with state-of the-art facilities on offer. With ITCA’s strong alliance with other astronomical institutes around the world, we can assure that our training programmes are streamlined to corresoind the needs of current and updated trends in astronomy and related sciences. 

With the keen interest of the Royal Thai Government in developing astronomy education in Thailand and beyond, coupled with recent endorsement of International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO (ITCA) in 2015 during the 38th UNESCO General Conference in Paris, ITCA shall be a mechanism that accentuates the collaborative efforts between Thailand and the world in Science, Technology and Innovation which are imperative to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ITCA is the centre that aims to garner and incubate the knowledge of astronomy and related sciences with strong commitment in building a better world with the use of astronomy as a tool for Technology Transfer and Capacity Building – the elements that define the excellence of ITCA