COLA KKU takes tangible steps to co-design solutions for local challenges, deploying faculty and students to work directly with communities.
The College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University (COLA KKU), is actively advancing its collaborations with local administrative organisations following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 4 September 2025. This commitment was furthered through the ‘Partnership and Co-design Forum for Development Challenges’ held on 12 February 2026, which utilised Design Thinking and co-design processes to identify urgent local issues.
Building upon this foundation, a second initiative titled ‘Community Co-Creation Operations’ was conducted from 19–20 February 2026. This phase involved field-based operations in which COLA faculty and students partnered with local government officials and community members to develop low-cost, implementable prototypes addressing real-world issues.
19 February 2026
- Ban Kho Sub-district Municipality: The ‘Reviving the Voice of Mueang Chiang Yuen’ project, a model for promoting local arts and culture.
- Ban Ped Town Municipality: The ‘Ped-Sort-Share Happiness (R3-DUCK)’ project, a model for waste reduction and sorting in the community.
20 February 2026
- Khon Kaen Municipality: The ‘Khao Niew Eco Street: Enjoy the Fun, Leave No Trace’ project, establishing a model for an environmentally friendly Songkran festival street.
The operational approach emphasised the creation of tangible outputs, including the development of cartoon-illustrated public service guides, community data collection and database development, and health promotion activities for elderly residents attending local administrative organisation-run schools for seniors. These initiatives aim to generate measurable results with the potential for broader replication and policy integration.
This collaboration underscores COLA KKU’s role as an institution dedicated to ‘Creating Value for Society’, in line with its operational plan for the 2026 fiscal year and Khon Kaen University’s strategic plan for 2025–2028.
COLA KKU reaffirms its position as a leading institution in public affairs, committed to creating societal value and driving sustainable local development through its collaborative partnership network.
