Malaysia, 6 December 2019 — The ASEAN Foundation, with support from ASEAN, the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, has kicked off the ASEAN Science and Technology (S&T) Fellowship’s capacity building week in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, in collaboration with the HEAD Foundation, Malaysia’s Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) and ASEAN Young Scientist Network.

The ASEAN S&T Fellowship is a partnership programme between the ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN, ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) and USAID that provides opportunities for scientists in Southeast Asia to apply their knowledge and analytical skills to support evidence-based policy-making in their national government. Co-hosted by AKEPT, the capacity building week targets current fellows and alumni alike to build their competencies through a series of expert-led workshops as well as participation in an international research conference.

At the capacity building week, current fellows and alumni will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of artificial intelligence; enhance their communication and leadership skills through an effective science communication workshop, led by the HEAD Foundation; as well as formulate an alumni engagement plan.

“The ASEAN S&T Fellowship’s capacity building week embodies our commitment to support continuous learning among our scientists,” Elaine Tan, the Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation, said. “This activity is intended to be an ideal platform for our current fellows to strengthen the implementation of their action plans, and for our alumni to equip themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge to continue promoting evidence-based policy-making across the region. With this avenue, we hope to build more ASEAN collaboration among our scientists in the future.”

“USAID is pleased to be a partner with the ASEAN Foundation on the S&T Fellowship program. Cooperation between government and the scientific research community is so important to good governance on a wide range of issues impacting people’s lives. This program not only demonstrates how research findings can support sound policy development and implementation, it also contributes to building a regional network of scientists and policy makers to ensure that governments in the region continue to be informed by scientific evidence in the future,” said Julie Chen, USAID ASEAN Office Director.

During the capacity building week, current fellows and alumni will also attend the ASEAN Emerging Researcher Conference hosted by the ASEAN Young Science Network on 9 – 10 December 2019 at Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia, to present their scientific work.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Anthoni Octaviano

Communication Manager of the ASEAN Foundation

[email protected]

Samara Sanders

USAID ASEAN Communications Specialist

[email protected]

About the ASEAN Foundation

Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognized that shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among the people of ASEAN remained inadequate. In response to this concern, ASEAN leaders established the ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia, at ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 15 December 1997. The ASEAN Foundation is an organisation from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly to promote awareness, identity, interaction and development of the people of ASEAN.

For more information, please visit: http://aseanfoundation.org/

About USAID

USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s works advance U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. The United States partners with ASEAN to support economic integration, expand maritime cooperation, cultivate emerging leaders, promote opportunities for women and address transnational challenges. Through USAID’s cooperation with ASEAN, the United States addresses the root causes of poverty and instability while strengthening the foundation for prosperity and security.

For more information, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/