History
and Founding

SDG Move

Centre for SDG Research and Support

Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University - National Host of SDSN Thailand

An Introduction & Capability Statement

SDG Move is a research centre dedicated to advancing the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Thailand. Operating as a research cluster under the Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, and serving as the national host of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Thailand, SDG Move works at the interface of science, policy, and society — building the knowledge foundation and the human capacity that sustainable development requires.

Who We Are

Founded in 2016, SDG Move grew out of Thailand’s first national research-coordination programme on the SDGs. Today it is an independent, university-based think tank with 21 full-time staff, recognised as one of Thailand’s leading knowledge organisations on sustainable development.

A think tank for sustainable development. We conduct policy-relevant research that informs decisions by government, the private sector, academia, and civil society.
The national host of SDSN Thailand. We connect Thai universities and research institutions to the global Sustainable Development Solutions Network, mobilised under the auspices of the United Nations.
A science–policy–society interface. We serve as a neutral, multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue, trust-building, and joint action across sectors.

Vision

To be a think tank that conducts research to drive policy, supports capacity building, and promotes the participation of all sectors in advancing Thailand’s sustainable development.

Mission

Mission. To create the knowledge foundation for the SDGs by:

Building knowledge infrastructure for the SDGs;
Strengthening the capacities of all stakeholders; and
Sustaining a working interface between science, policy, and society.

What We Do

SDG Move offers an integrated set of services that turn evidence into action:

Policy research. Applied, data-driven research on SDG measurement, localisation, and sectoral transitions.
Lectures & training. Courses, workshops, and curricula that build SDG literacy across sectors.
Consultation & mediation. Advisory support and multi-stakeholder facilitation for governments and organisations.
Knowledge communication. Public-facing platforms, reports, and media that make the SDGs accessible.
Seminars & workshops. Convening forums that connect researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Our Reach & Impact

Over nearly a decade, SDG Move has built one of the widest sustainable-development networks in Thailand.

20,000+

people trained over 8 years

50+

universities engaged

15+

government agencies

6

international organisations

5.2M

website views (3 yrs)

3M

website visitors (3 yrs)

Training participants are drawn from government, the private sector, academia, civil-society organisations, and youth networks. Our knowledge platforms — sdgmove.com and sdgport-th.org — are among Thailand’s most-visited SDG resources.

Research Portfolio Highlights

Since 2018, SDG Move has delivered 55+ research and advisory projects for more than 30 funders — spanning Thai government agencies, universities, the private sector, and international organisations. Selected themes include:

Theme

Representative work

SDG measurement & monitoring

National and provincial SDG Index; BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economy indicators; SDG progress and status reporting.

Foresight & systems research

Strategic foresight on Thailand’s sustainability futures; system-level research synthesis for national science, research, and innovation planning.

University transformation

“Reinventing Universities for the SDGs”; SDSN Thailand network development and study tours.

Sectoral transitions

Sustainable tourism action plans; agrifood-system pathways (with FAO); green-business and ESG programmes; energy-transition think tank.

Social development

Social-situation and human-security reporting for Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security; gender and family-development indicators.

Climate change

Climate Change Knowledge Management (CCKM): mitigation, adaptation, and resilience research and capacity building.

Selected Partners & Funders

International. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNESCO, GIZ, the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), WWF, Tara Climate Foundation, and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).
National. Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), and Thammasat University.
Academic. A network of 50+ Thai universities engaged through research collaboration, training, and the SDSN Thailand network.

Why This Matters

Thailand has world-class expertise across the SDGs, but it is thinly spread. Accelerating the 2030 Agenda requires more people and organisations equipped to act — and a shared knowledge infrastructure so that they can. SDG Move exists to lower those barriers: to make the SDGs usable, to build capacity, and to convene the partnerships through which sustainable development actually happens. We see international collaboration — with peers such as Stanford’s sustainability community — as central to that mission.

History and Founding