On 23 April 2019, Dr Kayo Inaba, Kyoto University's executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations, attended the 6th STS forum ASEAN-Japan Workshop, held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore.
The annual workshop is organized by the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum and held in the ASEAN region to provide a platform for members of the government, industrial, and academic sectors in Japan and ASEAN countries to network, discuss current issues, and explore possibilities for science and technology collaboration with a view to addressing the needs of the international community.
The main organizers of the sixth workshop were the STS forum and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), a research and development statutory board under the country's Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Embassy of Japan in Singapore were also involved, the former as a co-organizer and the latter as a supporter. Participants numbered over 130, and represented universities, research institutions, government organizations, and businesses in Japan and the ASEAN region.
The event commenced with opening addresses from Mr Koji Omi, founder and chairman of the STS forum, and Ms Chan Lai Fung, chairwoman of A*STAR. These were followed by welcome remarks from His Excellency Mr Jun Yamazaki, ambassador of Japan to Singapore, and Mr Yasukazu Irino, executive vice-president of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
The main program was centered around two roundtable presentation and discussion sessions: "Science and Technology Cooperation Between ASEAN and Japan: Human Resource Development and Brain Circulation" in the morning, and "Future of Manufacturing" in the afternoon. Each comprised nine or ten presentations on various aspects of the central theme, followed by a group discussion and remarks from two commentators.
EVP Inaba presented in the morning session, discussing the role of universities in advancing science and technology and cultivating human capital towards the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her presentation introduced two of Kyoto University's ongoing collaborative research efforts in the ASEAN region: a forty-year-long peatland-restoration project in Indonesia, and the "Japan-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Platform (JASTIP): Promotion of Sustainable Development Research" initiative, which covers the fields of disaster mitigation, bio-resources and biodiversity, and energy and environment.
The 7th STS forum ASEAN-Japan Workshop is planned to be held in Malaysia in 2020, after the forum's 16th annual meeting in Kyoto on 6–8 October 2019.
EVP Inaba presenting
Workshop participants (EVP Inaba in second row, third from right)
