On November 10, 2021, the President of CMU, Clinical. Prof. Niwes Nanthachit, along with CMU executives and lecturers, welcomed Gen. Kampanart Ruddit, a Privy Councilor and the executive chairman of the Royal Project Foundation, and team during their visit to CMU to discuss academic collaboration and support between the two parties at the Tawan Kangwanphong Meeting Room, Office of the University, CMU.
The collaboration between the Royal Project Foundation and CMU began in 1968. Lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture worked as a volunteer assisting in research and development and knowledge transfer to farmers as a mission to eradicate opium poppy cultivation. To help generate income for the highlanders, several plants, as well as livestock farming, were introduced as alternatives. Once production increased, another group of CMU staff went in to help with agriproduct processing and the Faculty of Agro-Industry started to play a bigger role in assisting the Foundation’s missions. As the living and occupational conditions improved, the Faculty of Dentistry assisted the public health missions by providing dental care, giving rise to the Royal Dental Unit under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). Afterwards, the medical volunteer unit from the faculties of Medicine and Nursing also helped provide healthcare for people living in highland areas, creating immunity to drug problems.
The Faculty of Economics has contributed to the research on costs in vegetable production and the Main Library has been organising a mobile library initiative and hosted activities for schools in highland areas, as well as creating a knowledge bank in the form of an e-library until the present. Moreover, the faculties of Business Administration, Engineering, and Architecture, and College of Media, Art and Technology (CAMT) have also conducted research for the Foundation.
In addition to carrying on the Royal Project’s missions initiated by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua, CMU’s long-standing collaboration with the Royal Project Foundation will continue to help improve the living and occupational conditions for highlanders in the northern areas.