CEBU, PHILIPPINES, 19 October 2018 – The Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, YB Puan Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis today led the Malaysian delegation to the 10th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology (IAMMST) in Cebu, Philippines.
The meeting was chaired by H.E. Prof. Fortunato T. De La Pena, Secretary (Minister) of Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and attended by ASEAN S&T Ministers and Senior Officials of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN COST).
Prior to IAMMST-10, various meetings and side events were conducted in conjunction with the IAMMST-10, which include:
- the ASEAN Ethics Meeting;
- the ASEAN Technology Transfer Forum;
- the ASEAN Workshop on Intellectual Property;
- the ASEAN Workshop on Start-up Innovation;
- the ASEAN Young Leaders Forum 2018;
- the 53rd Meeting of ASEAN Sub-Committee on S&T Infrastructure and Resource Development (SCIRD-53);
- the 6th Meeting of Board of Advisors to ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (BAC-6);
- the 75th Meeting of ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST-75);
- the 9th Meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Cooperation Committee on Science and Technology (AJCCST-9);
- the 8th ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Science and Technology (AEUDST-8); and
- the 8th ASEAN-US Consultation on Science and Technology (AUSCST-8).
During the IAMMST-10, the Deputy Minister addressed the importance of “Shaping a future-focused ASEAN” by creating a platform to provide the right tools and skills for foresighting the future of ASEAN through STI via the formalization of the ASEAN Foresight Alliance and to nurture the top young researchers of ASEAN as potential national and regional leaders via the establishment of the ASEAN Young Scientists Network.
Prof. Dr. Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam of Sunway University, in his capacity as the founder and co-Chair of the ASEAN Young Scientists Network shared updates on these two initiatives, which are led by Malaysia. These two initiatives were endorsed during the 74th ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST) on 10-11 May 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand under the leadership of Mr. Teoh Phi Li, the Under Secretary of International Division, MESTECC in his capacity as also the Chairman of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on S&T Infrastructure and Resources Development (SCIRD) for the term 2018 to 2020.
The ASEAN Young Scientists Network was launched at the ASEAN Young Leaders Forum that was co-hosted by the Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) on the 18th of October 2018 as part of the value-adding side events in conjunction with IAMMST-10. The forum’s theme is “the Role of Young Leaders towards a Shared Vision of 2050”.
The ASEAN Young Scientists Network was also recently announced as one of the top 15 project proposals to receive funding from the ASEAN STI Fund (ASTIF) worth USD 28,800. Another Malaysian-led project by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on the modeling transmission and molecular surveillance of Malaria in the region also received funding worth USD34,020.
Malaysia hopes that the establishment of ASEAN Foresight Alliance and ASEAN Young Scientists Network as a synergized initiative will facilitate evidence-based future planning for ASEAN member countries in developing their national policies, strategies and action plans as well as to harness the talent and drive of young ASEAN researchers, to successfully implement the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) 2016-2025 and beyond.
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Further information, please do contact :
Normaizatulakmal Tujad
Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications Unit
MESTECC
akmal.tujad@mosti.gov.my
03 – 8885 8299
Noorahayu Binti Yahya
Assistant Secretary
International Department
MESTECC
noorahayu@mosti.gov.my
03 – 8885 8741
