Aligning national human resource development with future workforce transitions and the SDGs: policy lessons from Thailand's research-funding system

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Background National human resource development (HRD) strategies are increasingly linked to science, research, and innovation funding systems as mechanisms for building workforce capabilities and advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thailand's establishment of Program Management Units (PMUs) under the Science, Research and Innovation Plan (2020–2025) offers a significant empirical case for examining how mission-oriented funding intermediaries can steer capability formation in a middle-income economy. Objective This study analyses how Thailand's PMU-based research-funding system has shaped national human-capital development in relation to future workforce transitions and SDG-oriented priorities, and derives transferable policy lessons for countries in comparable institutional contexts. Methods An interpretive policy-analysis approach was employed, re-analyzing findings from a completed national monitoring study covering Programmes P1–P5 and P16. The original study used a mixed-methods design integrating quantitative performance assessment—including descriptive statistics, weighted mean scoring, and the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC)—with qualitative methods comprising focus-group discussions, in-depth interviews structured around the McKinsey 7S framework, documentary analysis, and participatory review sessions. Results Strong structural alignment was observed between the PMU programme objectives and national HRD priorities. The quantitative evaluation of Key Results across 376 funded projects demonstrated that 100% achieved its out-come alignment, with an overall performance score of 3.62, indicating a good level of performance. Mission-oriented funding logics, flexible intermediary coordination, and relational governance practices were identified as critical enabling factors. However, indicators requiring cross-agency integration demonstrated weaker performance. Persistent gaps include indicator fragmentation, over-reliance on output-based metrics, limited cross-programme coordination, and absence of longitudinal tracking mechanisms for sustained capability outcomes. Conclusions Thailand's PMU-based model functions as a strategic governance instrument within the National Innovation System, co-producing capability formation through funding architecture, intermediary institutions, and relational governance. Effective alignment between research funding, workforce transitions, and SDGs requires three complementary elements: mission-oriented funding structures embedding workforce priorities within innovation policy; intermediary institutions capable of adaptive coordination; and dual-layer performance architectures combining output accountability with developmental evaluation. These lessons offer transferable relevance for middle-income and transition-economy contexts seeking to harness research investment for sustainable and inclusive human-capital development.

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Related topics: Human Resource Development and Performance Evaluation · Medical and Agricultural Research Studies · International Science and Diplomacy