Scientific Exchange between Suranaree University of Technology (Thailand) and University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

On the 14.02.2024 as a part of the WTUN Exchange Programme the researcher from FH Upper Austria, Dr Sascha Senck, was able to visit the SUT and participate in the Korat MedTech Forum, which definitely became the highlight of his stay in Thailand.

The Forum, which gathered around 30 guests from both academia and different companies, was held at the Student Entrepreneurship Development Academy (SEDA), an entity to promote students to realise their ideas and foster the path for their future start-ups.

At the event, Dr. Senck had an excellent opportunity not only to introduce FH Upper Austria to SUT, but also draw the roadmap for the future cooperation and joint research between the two partner institutions especially in the field of medical engineering. He made a significant focus on the development of biomechanical testing of total knee arthroplasty implants and leveraging addictive manufacturing technologies such as selective laser melting available at the FH Upper Austria.

During his research stay in Korat, in addition to multiple discussions with researchers at the SUT, Dr. Senck was able to visit several research facilities, in particular the Synchrotron Lab, which complements perfectly the research focus on high-resolution X-ray imaging of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.

Dr. Senck noticed, that since the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria has a large network of industrial partners and decades of experience in industrial collaboration, one major goal is to create a bridge between academia and industry, bringing undergraduate and graduate students into contact with both research institutions and the industry so that to build the long-lasting connection via post-graduate students that already work in the industry.

As a part of ongoing collaboration between the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and the Suranaree University of Technology, Dr. Senck initiated to contribute to the SUT curriculum by teaching courses in CAD Design for Medical Engineering and Data Analysis in Chemical Engineering, as well as Scientific Writing and Presentations in English.

The exchange visit to SUT represents a significant step forward in international academic and research collaboration between two universities which may produce advancements beneficial not only to the institutions but also to the broader global community.