ASEAN cooperation in science and technology reached another important milestone with the adoption of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology and the agreement to initiate the ASEAN Science Fund with seed contributions from member countries. These decisions were made at the Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology held in Manila on 30-31 January 1989. Prior to this Meeting, the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST) met twice, in Bandar Seri Begawan on 28-30 September 1988 and in Manila on 26-28 January 1989, to discuss follow-up actions on the implementation of relevant decisions of the Third Meeting of ASEAN Heads of Government; consider and endorse the draft ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology, including the ASEAN Science Fund; discuss the preparations for the Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology and the Second ASEAN Science and Technology Week; review the progress of on-going projects and activities; assess the development of cooperation programmes with ASEAN Dialogue Partners; and consider new project proposals and other relevant issues in the field of science and technology.

ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology

The ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology (Plan) reviews ASEAN cooperation in science and technology; formulates the objective, Policy guidelines and strategy for the new era of ASEAN cooperation in science and technology taking into consideration the Manila Declaration of 1987; reviews the various programme areas, discusses the major projects, and indicates the future thrust of regional cooperation in each of the Programme areas; describes the institutional framework and organizational structure for implementing ASEAN cooperation in science and technology, starting from the policy level, to project implementation, and support services, including the re-structuring of COST subsidiary bodies; and presents the funding aspects for the implementation of the Plan, including the objectives, structure, and mechanism of the ASEAN Science Fund.

The Plan aims to strengthen and enhance the capability of ASEAN in science and technology so that it can promote economic development and help achieve a high quality of life for the peoples of ASEAN. To achieve this objective, the following actions are called for:

(a) To intensify cooperation in science and technology; strong and well coordinated regional research and development projects will be implemented in the priority areas identified in the policy guidelines, especially in biotechnology, materials science, microeletronics, and new energy sources.

(b) To widen involvement and increase participation and cooperation among the scientists and researchers of member countries; three regional research networks in biotechnology, materials science, and microeletronics, one regional institutional network in meteorology and geophysics, and two network-like linkages on food data and technological information will be established.

(c) To maintain a high level of scientific and technological expertise and, in the process develop an intelligent work force in a rapidly changing and highly competitive world; ASEAN centers of excellence, as well as science parks, will be identified and established in respective member countries.

(d) To promote technology transfer and the commercialization of research results; pilot plants, demonstration plants, and the like will be constructed and operated.

(e) To ensure human resources development for promoting scientific, technological, and economic development: regional conferences, workshops, seminars, training programmes, and the ASEAN Science and Technology Week will be conducted.

(f) To Provide an overall awareness in ASEAN on the strategic role that science and technology plays in economic developments: dissemination and exchange of information, publication of scientific and technical journals, as well I as scientific visits, and exchange of researchers will be intensified.

The ASEAN Science Fund

The Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology agreed to initiate the ASEAN Science Fund with seed contributions from member countries amounting to US$ 50,000 per member country. The ASEAN Science Fund, which is an integral part of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology activities. it will be supported by contributions from the Dialogue Partners, international and regional organizations, and other third countries.

Food Science and Technology

The activities of the Sub-Committee on Protein: Food Habits Research and Development concentrated on intervention programmes; data compilation; dissemination of results through seminars, workshops, and the mass media; preparation of final project report; editing and publication of various proceedings; and presentation of technical papers. Four Workshop Proceedings were Published, namely: Proceedings of the Sixth ASEAN Workshop on Food Habits, Proceedings of the First ASEAN Workshop on Solid Substrate Fermentation, Proceedings of the ASEAN Workshop on Soya Sauce Manufacturing Techniques, and Proceedings of the First ASEAN Workshop on Food Analytical Techniques. The Sub-Committee's proposed seminar on Food Data Network was approved for funding under ASEAN-Japan Inter-ASEAN Technical Exchange Programme (IATEP) and new project proposals on the Development of Nutritional Food Products and on the Production of Natural Flavours were approved by COST.

The Working Group on Food Waste Materials planned to conduct an ASEAN - EC Workshop on Biochemical Engineering in Bangkok in 1989 and another ASEAN - EC Workshop on the Scale-up, Cost Evaluation, and Technology Transfer of Biotechnology Processes in Bandung, Indonesia in July 1989. The final report on the ASEAN - Australia Project on Food Waste Materials was in the final stage of completion and work on the production of Guidelines on Standard Methods for Pressure Driven Membrane Processes was in progress. A project feasibility study on Value Added Products from Fish Processing Materials was conducted by a joint ASEAN-Australia team for possible funding in Phase 11 of the ASEAN - Australia Economic Cooperation Programme (AAECP Phase II).

As in previous years, the Working Group on Food Technology Research and Development (FTRD) directed its activities towards technology transfer and the development of standards on food quality and safety. The second phase of the ASEAN - Australia Food Technology Research and Development Project completed its third year of implementation. Among the technology transfer activities were: production and evaluation of weaning foods for the local market in a pilot plant in Indonesia; information dissemination on weaning foods, pandan powder, dodol and other products produced by laboratories in Malaysia; signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for the transfer of dryer design technology for the production of dried mangoes in the Philippines; and test marketing of longan, candy and glace under KU trade name in Thailand.

The FTRD ASEAN Food Standards Office completed several studies on: Summaries of Codex Maximum Limits for Pesticide Residues Comparing with other National Limits and Government Acceptance of Codex Limits: (a) Six Groups of Food and Agricultural Commodities and (b) primary Food Commodities of Animal Origin; and Data Base on Food Additives in ASEAN Part 4 - Enzymes, Flavours, and Flavours Enhancers.

A joint ASEAN - Australia team completed the feasibility study for a new project on Food Standard for Product Improvement in the ASEAN for possible funding in AAECP Phase II.

Non-Conventional Energy

On ASEAN - Australia Energy Cooperation, a workshop on Thermal Conversion of Biomass was held in Haatyai, Thailand in September 1988 and attended by ASEAN and Australian researchers undertaking R & D work in the Biomass for Heat and Power Programme of the Energy Phase I Project. Additionally, a joint ASEAN - Australia team completed the feasibility study for the ASEAN - Australia Energy Phase II Project for possible funding in AAECP Phase II.

Phase II of the ASEAN - US Energy Cooperation was officially completed with the holding of an end-of-project Workshop on Comparative Water Pumping Technologies in Penang, Malaysia in June 1988. Under Phase III of the cooperation programme, an ASEAN Senior Executive Seminar on Cogeneration and Private Power was held in Hua Hin, Thailand in November 1988. Additionally, a trial programme at the Asian Institute of Technology leading to a Certificate in Energy and Environment for six ASEAN Participants was conducted aimed at developing expertise in incorporating environmental consideration into both the energy planning process and the design of energy systems and projects.

On ASEAN - Canada Energy Cooperation, the ASEAN Working Group on Non-Conventional Energy Research (WGNCER) and CIDA discussed the Project Definition Report prepared by CIDA on ASEAN - Canada Project on Solar Energy in Drying Processes and agreed on a set of principles and guidelines for the development of a strategy for adoption, use and commercialization of the results of the project.

The third issue of the WGNCER Newsletter was published with approximately 1500 copies distributed to 88 countries. The WGNCER also Initiated the preparation of the ASEAN WGNCER Plan of Action for the 1990's.

Marine Sciences

On the ASEAN - Australia Cooperative Programme in Marine Sciences, two joint ASEAN-Australia teams completed the feasibility studies for Tides and Tidal Phenomena Project Phase II and Living Resources in Coastal Areas Phase II for possible funding in AAECP Phase II. However, the ASEAN Working Group on Marine Sciences agreed to merge the two proposed projects into one comprehensive project under the ASEAN - Australia Economic Cooperation Programme Phase II.

Under Phase I of the Tides and Tidal Phenomena Project, twenty three tide gauges were installed and operational. A training programme on data analysis was also successfully completed.

Under Phase I of the project on Living Resources in Coastal Areas with Emphasis on Mangrove and Coral Reef Ecosystem, the activities were: four ASEAN students completed their M.S. in Tropical Ecology in Australia; a series of special training courses on the application of remote sensing for Mapping of coastal areas using micro- Brian computer system were held in various ASEAN countries; a regional symposium on the results of the project was held in Manila on January 1989 followed by workshops on Data integration and on the Revision of the Methodology Manual.

Phase I of the ASEAN - Canada Cooperative Programme in Marine Sciences entitled "Development and Management of Living Marine Resources" was successfully completed and the Final Report submitted to ASEAN COST. Phase II of the programme entitled "Establishment of criteria on the Development and Management of Living Marine Resources and Human Health Protection" was approved and Canada agreed to provide financial assistance amounting to C$ C$ 9,345,000. The main components of the project include: marine pollution monitoring and baseline study; development of tropical marine environment criteria study; investigation of toxic red tides leading to toxicity of shell-fish and marine fauna kills; and training.

The Coastal Resources Management Project under the ASEAN - US Cooperative Programme in Marine Sciences continued to make progress. Two regional workshops were successfully concluded: a Policy Workshop on Coastal Area Management held in Johore Bahru, Malaysia in October 1988 and a Technical Workshop on Integrated Coastal Area Management held in Singapore in October 1988. The technical workshop in Singapore was followed by a training course on the application of remote sensing and geographic information system to coastal resources assessment and planning. A supplementary budget of US$ 1 million for the Coastal Resources Management Project was approved by USAID.

On the ASEAN - UNDP Project on the Coastal Fisheries Rehabilitation by Seagrass Restoration, the ASEAN Working Group on Marine Sciences proposed substantive revisions and recommended that the project should focus its activities on research on the extent and conservation of seagrass in the ASEAN region.

Environment

In the environmental field, it was agreed that a common ASEAN stand on sustainable development be adopted by ASEAN representatives in the governing bodies of U.N. agencies, in line with the Manila Declaration of 1987. Additionally, the ASEAN Experts Group on the Environment (AEGE) prepared Provisional ASEAN Policy Guidelines on Sustainable Development for further consideration by ASEAN member countries.

Under the ASEAN - UNDP Cooperation Programme, two prqjects were approved and signed namely: Training Programme in Environmental Education for Science Teachers and Supervisors in the ASEAN Region; and Anti-Pollution Technologies for Urban and Rural Areas in the ASEAN Region. The implementation meeting for the first project was held in Manila in February 1989. ASEAN member countries also approved the final project document of the U N DP - funded project on Technology Transfer on the Treatment of Effluents from Palm Oil and Rubber Industries.

The AEGE recommended and the ASEAN COST endorsed the elevation of the status of the AEGE into an ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) which reports directly to the ASEAN Standing Committee, The XSC is considering the matter.

Climatology

The Second Conference of the Advisory Committee for the User's Manual Project for the ASEAN Climatic Altas and Compendium of Climatic Statistics was held in Kuala Lumpur in January 1989 to review the draft texts of the User's Manual prepared by the Project Technical Committee. An Ad Hoc Working Group on the ASEAN Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre also met in Singapore in January 1989 to discuss the formation of the Center. COST agreed that the Center be named the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC) and that Singapore be the host of the Center. The ASMC aims to strengthen the national meteorological services of ASEAN member countries to an extent that would enable them to fully benefit from the advances made in meteorological science and technology' particularly in numerical weather prediction and related fields.

Materials Science and Technology

The first year of implementation of the five year ASEAN - Japan Cooperation Programme in Materials Science showed good progress with the delivery of equipment, training in Japan of ASEAN researchers, sending of senior level mission to japan, sending of Japanese mission to ASEAN countries, and the appointment of Japanese long- term experts and a project coordinator. The ASEAN Working- Group on Materials Science and Technology (WGMST) coordinates the project for ASEAN.

With the view to obtain funding from AAECP Phase 11, the ASEAN WGMST prepared project proposals, with the assistance of an Australian expert, on polymeric composites, development of construction materials from local raw materials, effective use of admixtures in concrete, laser-based non-destructive flow detection, utilization of minerals for construction materials, and on the establishment of the ASEAN Materials Technology Information Center.

Microelectronics

On the ASEAN - Australia Microelectronics Project: a second batch of thirteen (13) Multi-Project Chip (MPC) designs of varying complexities have been fabricated, indicating that VLSI design capability has now been developed in ASEAN; the AUSEAnet, a computer networking system which provided rapid information transfer within ASEAN and between ASEAN and Australia, started operation through gateways established in ASEAN countries and in Australia; two additional design workstations were purchased and the memory of the machines were upgraded with the purchase of additional hard disks; an updated versions of CIRCAD2 software was supplied to all participating countries; and several training courses in Australia were completed.

Two issues of the Newsletter of the ASEAN Working Group on Microelectronics were published and preparations were underway for the First ASEAN Regional Seminar on Microelectronics.

A joint ASEAN - Australia team completed the feasibility study for Phase 11 of the Microeletronics Project for possible funding under AAECP Phase II.

Biotechnology

The ASEAN - EC Workshop on Biological Nitrogen Fixation was held in Bangkok in May 1988. On ASEAN - Australia cooperation, the joint ASEAN - Australia team completed the feasibility study for a project on biotechnology for possible funding under AAECP Phase II. The areas covered were: development of therapeutically and biologically important substances from plants; and production and utilization of cells and enzymes for improved carbohydrate conversion.

Management of Science and Technology

An ASEAN - Australia assessment mission was undertaken in December 1988 to evaluate the effectiveness of the just completed programme and to determine the requirements for a future programme in S & T management. Drawing on the results of the assessment mission a project proposal on Human Resource Development in the Management of Science and Technology was prepared for possible funding under AAECP Phase II.

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Three issues of the Journal were published: volume 5, no 1 in September 1988; volume 5 no.2 in December 1988; and volume 6 no. 1 in 1989. The technical and scientific papers dealt on energy, biotechnology, computer technology, and chemistry. ASEAN COST agreed that Thailand continue to be responsible for the publication of the Journal.

Second ASEAN Science and Technology Week

The Second ASEAN Science and Technology Week was successfully held in Manila on 30 January - 4 February 1989. The overall theme was "New and Emerging Technologies in ASEAN". The Philippine government provided funding support amounting to Pesos 1.9 million. The Dialogue Partners contributions were: Australia, A$ 250,000 for the Sci-Tech Exhibits, support for ASEAN and Australian speakers and participants, and administrative cost; Canada, C$ 121,000 for exhibits, support of ASEAN and Canadian speakers and participants, and administrative cost; UNDP US$ 150,000 for support of ASEAN speakers and participants, reporting/printing costs and other expenses; US support for forty U.S. participants and speakers; EC support for five EC experts; Japan support for five Japanese experts; and New Zealand, support for one expert from New Zealand.

The activities included: a teleconference on the application of biotechnology in medicine, ASEAN Technology Expo 89; Regional Talent Search for Young Scientists; and a scientific conference.

ASEAN Food Conference 88

The ASEAN Food Conference 88 with the theme "Food Science and Technology in Industrial Development",was successfully held in Bangkok in October 1988 attended by about 800 participants, 290 from abroad and 510 from Thailand. A total of 241 scientific papers were presented orally and as posters in twenty sessions.

For more information, please refer to the project details