On 31 March 2026, H.E. Mrs. Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, presented a grant worth 450,000 baht to the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, to support the establishment of the Central Asian Studies Center (CASC). The grant was received by Assoc. Prof. Pavika Sriratanaban, Director of the Institute of Asian Studies.

The CASC is established through collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Embassy in Astana, and the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University. It will serve as a knowledge hub on Central Asia for the Thai public and as a platform for academic exchanges between Thai and Central Asian scholars, with a view to promoting cooperation across various fields through joint research and collaborative studies.