On 9 October 2026, SUPA71 held the Improving Health, Digital, and Innovation Literacy Levels among the Older Population in Thailand and Lao PDR (IHDILL) Project Research Findings Dissemination and Co-creation Planning Meeting, at Brown House Udon Thani Hotel, Udon Thani, Thailand. The meeting had three main objectives, including 1) to disseminate and discuss findings on health, digital, and innovation literacy among older adults and caregivers in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR, and Khon Kaen and Chiang Rai Provinces, Thailand; 2) to gather feedback, insights, and recommendations from field research teams, project partners, and stakeholders; and 3) to jointly plan the co-creation phase, including its approach, participant engagement, roles and responsibilities, expected outputs, timeline, and next steps.
The IHDILL Project is funded by the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI), led by SUPA71 Co., Ltd (SUPA71), and implemented in collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing, Khon Kaen University (KKU), the School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University (MFU), and the Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute (Lao TPHI), Ministry of Health, Lao PDR. The meeting brought together representatives from ACAI, including Dr. Maretalinia and Ms. Napatsorn Phaviparkyotin. The lead organization, SUPA71, was represented by Dr. Kanokwan Suwannarong, Principal Investigator (PI), and members of the SUPA71 research team. Project partners were represented by Dr. Khampheng Phongluxa, Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), and the research team from Lao TPHI, Lao PDR; Asst. Prof. Dr. Nisachon Bubpa, Co-PI, and the research team from the Faculty of Nursing, KKU; and Asst. Prof. Dr. Phitsanuruk Kanthawee, Co-PI, from the School of Health Science, MFU. In addition, Dr. Lesley Lau, an expert representative from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, also participated in the meeting.
The meeting opened with welcome and opening remarks from Dr. Maretalinia on behalf of ACAI and Dr. Kanokwan Suwannarong, Director of SUPA71. Participants then introduced the project teams and institutions represented at the meeting before moving into the technical sessions on project progress and preliminary research findings. Dr. Kanokwan Suwannarong presented the meeting objectives, an overview of the IHDILL Project, implementation progress, and preliminary findings on health, digital, and innovation literacy among older adults and caregivers across the three study sites. The presentation also highlighted key strengths, limitations, and recommendations emerging from the baseline study. Mr. Thanomsin Ponlap, Senior Research Manager and Qualitative Research Expert at SUPA71, together with Ms. Kannika Thammasutti, Research Manager and Qualitative Researcher at SUPA71, presented preliminary qualitative findings from the study.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Maretalinia on behalf of ACAI and Dr. Kanokwan Suwannarong on behalf of SUPA71. This meeting represented an important milestone for the IHDILL Project, bringing together the funder, lead organization, collaborating institutions, and research teams to review evidence from the baseline phase and jointly prepare for the next stage of implementation. The discussions strengthened a shared understanding of the findings across the three study sites and provided a foundation for Phase II of the co-creation activities planned for 2027.
