On Thursday, 1 May 2025, at 9:00 a.m., Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously granted a royal audience to Ms. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation; Pol.Lt.Gen. Pornchai Suteerakune, Director of the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) (NIMT); and a delegation of senior executives and staff of NIMT, at Sa Pathum Palace.
During the royal audience, the delegation had the distinguished honor of presenting Her Royal Highness with the inaugural Phadung Matra Award (a Certificate of Honor for National Metrology System Development) on the occasion of the 1st International Conference on Measurement Sciences and Applications (IMSA 2024). The award was conferred in recognition of Her Royal Highness’s exceptional contributions to advancing Thailand’s national metrology infrastructure—particularly through her steadfast support for research in optical atomic clocks and quantum measurement standards as the future foundation of national measurement systems.
The award presentation also served to commemorate Her Royal Highness’s visionary leadership, profound compassion, and unwavering commitment to supporting and promoting NIMT’s mission across multiple areas over the years. Following the audience, Her Royal Highness visited the exhibition on Quantum Measurement Standards, where she was briefed on Thailand’s progress in developing quantum-based measurement technologies.
The Phadung Matra Award, conferred by NIMT, consists of two key components:
- A Digital Award Certificate – This digital certificate, jointly developed by NIMT and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), represents the first official instance of the award in 2024. The original file is encrypted to ensure information security and serves as a model for the Digital Calibration Certificate (DCC), a system currently under development. This initiative aims to digitize metrology processes, enabling seamless data interoperability across economic and industrial sectors and significantly enhancing national industrial efficiency.
- A Model of a Linear Paul Trap – This scientific model represents a critical component developed by NIMT researchers to trap ytterbium ions, enabling the creation of optical atomic clocks. These advanced timekeeping devices surpass the accuracy of current cesium-based atomic clocks by several orders of magnitude. They are anticipated to play a central role in the upcoming redefinition of the SI base unit second (s) by the year 2030.
The Phadung Matra Award embodies the immense royal grace and patronage that Her Royal Highness has continuously extended to the Thai metrology community. Moreover, Her Royal Highness has been a vital force in championing frontier research initiatives, particularly in quantum technologies, which have received institutional support since 2019. Through a collaborative research agreement between NIMT and the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the two countries are jointly conducting research on optical atomic clocks and are planning to compare time signals from their respective clocks via the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in the near future. The collaboration also encompasses other areas of quantum technology research, reinforcing the development of Thailand’s scientific capabilities.
In recognition of these invaluable contributions, NIMT respectfully conferred the Phadung Matra Award to Her Royal Highness as a tribute to her royal merit, in celebration of her exceptional achievements, and as a highest auspiciousness to the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.
Pol.Lt.Gen. Pornchai Suteerakune, Director of NIMT, expressed his profound gratitude for the boundless royal grace of Her Royal Highness, who has continually supported the NIMT’s development. Since graciously bestowing the names “Phadung Matra” and “Matra Thamrong” upon NIMT’s first two metrology laboratory buildings in 2006 and 2018 respectively, Her Royal Highness has played a foundational role in elevating the national metrology system. Most notably, Her Royal Highness presided over the inauguration of the Phadung Matra Building on 14 August 2006—the first metrology laboratory in Thailand specifically designed for the preservation of the national measurement standards under strictly controlled environmental conditions.
Following this historic event, Her Royal Highness made an unofficial visit to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in Paris, France, in March 2009, where she received in-depth information regarding the future of the International System of Units (SI), which would later be redefined based on seven physical constants, replacing the historical base-unit definitions. Her Royal Highness also learned of the Kibble balance, a precision instrument critical for determining the Planck constant, which underpins the SI redefinition.
In addition to her technical interest, Her Royal Highness has consistently promoted the academic advancement of the metrology community—particularly in fundamental metrology. She graciously presided over the signing ceremony of the quantum technology research collaboration between NIMT and NUS, enabling opportunities for Thai metrologists to access new techniques and international research infrastructure previously unavailable within Thailand.
Her Royal Highness has further granted permission for NIMT to provide progress reports on its development of measurement standards during annual meetings of the Information Technology Foundation under Royal Initiative and on Academic Exhibition Day at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, serving as milestones for NIMT’s research endeavors. The opportunity to report directly to Her Royal Highness remains a great honor and source of pride for all Thai metrologists.
Pol.Lt.Gen. Pornchai Suteerakune further stated that, as part of the Quantum Measurement Standards exhibition, Dr. Sivinee Sawatdiaree, Head of the Electrical Metrology Department, and Dr. Piyaphat Phoonthong, Senior Professional Metrologist of the Electrical Metrology Department, presented a progress report on the development of quantum measurement standards in Thailand, which are being conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore (NUS). Key project developments include the Yb⁺ Optical atomic clock, Josephson voltage standards, Quantum Hall resistance standards, Quantum impedance standard, Kibble balance, Josephson noise thermometer, and an Ultra-Stable Frequency Comb.
Additionally, a live broadcast from the laboratory at the Phadung Matra Building, National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), Technopolis, Klong 5, Pathumthani Province, showcased quantum properties through real-time demonstrations. This live presentation formed an integral part of the official briefing delivered during the royal audience.
On this auspicious occasion, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), expressed their deepest gratitude for the royal benevolence bestowed through the gracious granting of royal permission to be received in audience and to present the “Phadung Matra Award” to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, which constitutes an immeasurable honor and shall eternally be regarded as most auspicious for the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand).