Funding Info Day Hosted by WAITRO’s Asia-Pacific RFP TISTR

On 28 February 2024, the virtual conference Funding Info Day was hosted by the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) as the Asia and the Pacific Regional Focal Point (RFP) for the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO), with the theme “Empowering Opportunities of Cross-Regional Collaboration”.

In its capacity as the Asia and the Pacific Regional RFP, the TISTR hosted this event in collaboration with WAITRO, to facilitate knowledge exchange and experience sharing on collaborative funding and research initiatives among WAITRO member organizations. Over 60 participants representing WAITRO member organizations and partners in Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America and Caribbean regions registered for the event.

The event focused on international funding schemes for research and innovation opportunities, with notable mentions of the Southeast Asia (SEA) – Europe Joint Funding Scheme for Research and Innovation and e-Asia Joint Research Program, as well as the WAITRO’s Innovation Ecosystem, which fosters cross-regional collaboration and innovation among researchers in the respective regions.

SEA-Europe Joint Funding Scheme

SEA-Europe Joint Funding Scheme, presented by Mr. Tuan Vu Bui, fosters collaborative research and innovation by providing financial support to projects involving at least three partners from three different countries in Southeast Asia and Europe, fulfilling the 2+1 rule. The thematic areas of the 2023 joint call (deadline in April 2024) are circular economy and clean, accessible, and secure energy supply.

e-Asia Joint Research Program

e-Asia Joint Research Program, presented by Dr. Yukio KEMMOCHI, facilitates collaborative research among East Asia member countries by offering joint funding opportunities. Aimed at addressing shared regional challenges, e-Asia JRP aims to contribute to strengthening the science and technology community and research capabilities in the region, addressing challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, and infectious diseases.

Presented by Dr. Yukio KEMMOCHI, the e-Asia Joint Research Program (JRP) facilitates collaborative research among the East Asia member countries by offering joint funding opportunities. Aimed at addressing shared regional challenges, e-Asia JRP aims to contribute to strengthen the science and technology community as well as research capabilities in the region. It also aims to create innovation to combat common challenges in the region, such as climate change, natural disasters, and infectious diseases. Moreover, e-Asia JRP supports scientific research for tackling sustainability challenges that humanity is facing for making better policy decisions.

WAITRO’s Innovation Ecosystem

The event also featured the WAITRO’s Innovation Ecosystem. The session was led by Dr. Paul Burrows, Secretary General of the WAITRO Secretariat, along with Ms. Theresia Ningsi Astuti, the WAITRO Regional Representative (RR) for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Pimprapai Supornrat, WAITRO Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, and Mr. Sergio Ibanez Perez, WAITRO Regional Focal Point for Europe. They presented WAITRO Fellowship Programmes hosted by BRIN, a member in Indonesia, and TÜBITAK, a member in Tükiye, including establishing WAITRO International Coordinator Task Force for Horizon Europe. SAIRA, a matchmaking platform developed by WAITRO, was also introduced to the audiences during the session. These programmes represent the ecosystem of WAITRO to service and foster the collaborative network among the members.

Project Ideas from the Researchers

The last session of this virtual event served as a platform for creating collaboration opportunities and forming project proposal teams among WAITRO member organizations. Distinguished researchers from member organizations such as CSIRO, SIRIM Berhad, BRIN, and TISTR shared their concepts and project ideas and aimed to seek collaboration opportunities and apply for international research funding.

On behalf of the organizers, TISTR hopes this event fulfils WAITRO’s mission to foster collaboration among its members and network. Anticipating the emergence of new publicly funded projects by WAITRO members, we aim to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, our collective efforts strive to advance research and technology for sustainable development on a global scale.

The video recording of this event is now available online: https://fb.watch/qDPyXVd1r7/

This news article is provided by Ms Pimprapai Supornrat (pimprapai@tistr.or.th), Senior International Relations Officer at Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR).

Appendix. Registered WAITRO members and partner institutions

Asia and the Pacific Region

Middle East and North Africa Region

Latin America and Caribbean Region

Further Reading

• WAITRO Annual Report 2022
• 50 Years of WAITRO
• WAITRO members and partners