On 22 July 2026, Professor Dr Peerapong Teekasakul, Chair of the AEM Project Site Visit Committee, together with a panel of experts from the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), conducted a site visit to monitor the progress of the Areas Engagement Mobility (AEM) Project for fiscal year 2026 in Ban Mai Subdistrict, Mueang Phayao District, Phayao Province. Professor Dr Samur Thanoi, Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Phayao, in his capacity as Head of the AEM Project Coordination Center, presented an overview of the AEM initiative and the University’s project implementation plan.
Associate Professor Dr Torpong Kreetachat, a faculty member of the School of Energy and Environment and principal investigator of the project entitled “Promoting Community Livelihoods through the Enhancement of Agricultural Production and Processing Using Environmentally Friendly Technologies,” presented the results of applying academic knowledge, clean energy technologies, and environmentally friendly innovations in collaboration with six community enterprise groups. The initiative aims to support local farmers in becoming “community entrepreneurs in low-carbon agricultural products” in accordance with circular economy principles. This was followed by a presentation from Dr Suphalerk Khaowdang, a project research assistant and Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) under the Industrial Technology Assistance Program (ITAP), University of Phayao Network. He presented the outcomes of the Matching Fund initiative, which serves as a financial mechanism for supporting the development and transfer of technologies to enhance the community’s agricultural processing capabilities and generate tangible results.
On this occasion, Dr Poramate Sittisun, Head of the Community Energy and Environmental Innovation Unit (EEIC), attended the event and brought students to participate in the presentations and learn from the project’s area-based implementation. Their participation highlighted EEIC’s role in promoting learning beyond the classroom and connecting community-based field experience with the development of students’ professional skills in energy and environmental fields.
The project has resulted in a range of value-added processed products, including packaged organic rice, tilapia-topped rice crackers, traditional field crab paste (Ong Poo Na), larb spice mix, and fish sauce. It has also led to the establishment of the “Community Learning Center for Energy and Food Processing,” which serves as a platform for knowledge transfer and the expansion of project outcomes toward sustainable community development.