MDES – depa Reschedule Launch of HACKaTHAILAND As Requested with Hackathon Application Timeline Extended, Bangna Area Transformed into Digital City for Thais

January 26, 2022, Bangkok – The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) collaborated with partners in the public and private sectors to reschedule the launch of the HACKaTHAILAND project with an aim to provide all individuals and stakeholders with equal opportunity to participate in the ideation stage to bring changes to the country. The application period for joining HACKaTHAILAND Competition & Beyond Hackathon was extended through March 15 to find top 10 teams that have the potential to jointly solve national problems with money prizes worth 2 million baht up for grabs. The competition will be held concurrently with HACKaTHAILAND Hybrid Exhibition, which is set to be the first-of-its-kind digital-inspired festival, showcasing a wide array of advanced digital technologies and innovations. An exhibition space of around 7,000 sqm will be transformed into a “digital city” in the Bangna area to give Thais and foreigners the opportunity to have hands-on experience in digital solutions and innovations. HACKaTHAILAND Hybrid Exhibition is scheduled for March 28 to April 17, 2022.

Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin President/CEO of depa said H.E. Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn Minister of Digital Economy and Society assigned the depa to speed up providing people with digital-driven knowledge and encourage the adoption of digital technologies and innovations in order to advance their careers and create new professions of the future as digital technologies have played a key role in helping society weather the crises caused by the spread of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Therefore, depa initiated the HACKaTHAILAND project under the concept New Normal: Digital Possibilities in November 2021 with a goal to provide people with greater access to the sources of digital knowledge via the HACKaTHAILAND Online Learning Platform. Interested people will discover lifelong learning regarding 6 essential digital skills development through more than 200 lessons comprehensively featured in 23 learning programs. All learners and participants will receive an online certification when completing each learning program. At present, there are around 10,000 people registered to participate in the online learning platform with more than 6,000 people finishing their education and receiving the online certifications. It is the fundamental key to unlock the digital potential, paving the way to join HACKaTHAILAND Competition & Beyond Hackathon.
“HACKaTHAILAND is a digital upskilling project initiated by the depa to bring changes to the country and to get people through the COVID-19 crisis. The project initially provides people with digital literacy and essential digital skills via an online learning system prior to adapting the fundamental digital knowledge, leveraging digital technologies in the real-world ecosystem in order to deal with the national problems in HACKaTHAILAND Competition & Beyond Hackathon. All people receive equal opportunities to turn the faces of Thailand and move the country forward to a better future. The digital-driven competition has received an overwhelming response from the public, so the depa decided to extend the application period through March 15 so that all interested individuals, parties and stakeholders from across segments in society can participate in the competition. HACKaTHAILAND Competition & Beyond Hackathon is scheduled for April 4-11.” said the President/CEO of depa.

HACKaTHAILAND Competition & Beyond Hackathon is a 168-hr Hackathon competition and ideation stage organized to find top 10 teams to brainstorm and jointly tackle the nation’s pressing issues with a focus on driving growth and enhancing the potential of 3 core industries, comprising Agriculture, Food & OTOP; Tourism, Healthcare, Wellness; and Industrial and Logistics, E-commerce, Digital Technology & E-sports. Cash prizes worth around 2 million baht are up for grabs as the winning digital technologies and solutions will be further developed for use to solve problems of agencies and organizations for a duration of one month after the competition wraps up. The ultimate goal of the HACKaTHAILAND project is to accelerate digital readiness to move the country forward to a digital economy and society. The project is expected to serve as a cornerstone to help revitalize the economy battered by the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The HACKaTHAILAND project also features an interesting event called HACKaTHAILAND Hybrid Exhibition that showcases a host of advanced digital technologies and innovations from across the globe for Thais and foreigners to gain hands-on experience in digital technologies themselves. The digital showcase can provide participants with an inspiration to explore or develop next digital technologies. depa has transformed 7,000 square meters of an exhibition space in Bangna area into the ‘HACKaTHAILAND Venue’, which is the digital city to impress all visitors and deliver an all-inclusive digital experience and exploration to all participants via a variety of digital-inspired activities on March 28 to April 17, 2022.

depa initiated the HACKaTHAILAND project for Thai people with a commitment to working for a better future for all Thai people. depa also has an intention to improve Thailand’s digital economy in order to be on top levels in the global digital economy ranking. It is in alignment with the vision “We work smart every day to build a world-class digital economy and to help people perform better, think faster and live better”. Interested people can follow up on the latest updates, information, and details about the project by visiting www.hackathailand.com or contact Facebook: HACKaTHAILAND or LINE OA: @depathailand