British High Commission Singapore was part of the successful consortium bid to the European Commission to run an INCO-NET project. This focus on closer scientific collaboration between the EU and South East Asia and will make recommendations to the Commission.

Introduction
There are many examples of fruitful scientific collaborations and linkages between researchers in the EU and South East Asia. Such partnerships are beneficial to all parties involved, and the resulting advancements in research delivers improved quality of living, life saving medicines and economic returns to both regions.

"SEA-EU-NET" project has been set up to expand scientific collaboration between Europe and South East Asia in a more strategic and coherent manner. The project was launched in January 2008 and involves 17 key institutions from the two regions. It will adopt an evidence-based approach to increase the quality, quantity, profile and impact of Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation between the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Member- and Associated States of the European Union (EU). This is in support of the international strategy of the EU, and in particular the specific objectives of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) - the EU's primary funding opportunity for collaborative scientific research ."SEA-EU-NET" funding runs through to the end of 2011 although the outcomes will be designed so they are sustained beyond this point.

The project will identify, promote and deliver a wide range of measures to increase mutually beneficial SEA-EU cooperation amongst academic, industrial and government stakeholders.

Objectives
1. Dialogue: To strengthen bi-regional and bi-lateral dialogue in scientific cooperation and to jointly identify priority strategic topics for collaboration under FP7 thematic programmes.

2. Decision-Making: To reach consensus on areas which will yield the greatest benefits from improved cooperation, and to increase the flow and availability of resources available to these areas.

3. Networking: To network Universities, industry, Government, charities and S&T related institutions in order to strengthen research capacity.

4. Partnership: To develop and implement a coherent European-level approach towards international S&T cooperation with South East Asia.

5. Sustainability: All activities will be underpinned by a focus on sustainability, and designed to deliver impact beyond the lifespan of the four year funding stream in order to develop long-lasting partnership.

Description of work
SEA-EU-NET project will identify examples of best practice and barriers to the formation and success of collaborations. Existing support mechanisms will be analysed, networked and expanded where necessary to ensure a more coherent strategic approach. Funding streams - in particular the EU's 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7) - will be analysed to identify further opportunities for stimulating collaboration. Participation in such schemes will be increased through the dissemination of information in a targeted manner to researchers in South East Asia, and support will be provided in accessing the funds. Action will be driven forward to deliver increased partnership.

Scientific conferences will be held to bring together expert researchers from the EU and SE Asia, to provide a platform for sharing research, overcoming technical barriers, and stimulating long term collaborative projects for funding by national research bodies, the EU Framework Programme 7 and other sources.

Each year stakeholders will be brought together through a 'week of cooperation' to foster knowledge transfer, policy coordination and develop joint action plans for delivering closer bi-regional partnership.

Partners
SEA-EU-NET consortium has been engineered to bring together a diverse range of S&T policy expertise from academia, the private sector, and government. The consortium currently comprises 17 partners although this shall be expanded over the course of the four years (2008-2011).:

The International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, (PT-DLR), Germany (Coordinator) www.internationales-buero.de

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), The Netherlands www.knaw.nl

The British High Commission, Singapore (BHC), Singapore/United Kingdom www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/singapore

Collegium Budapest, Institute for Advanced Study (COLBUD), Hungary http://www.colbud.hu/

The Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey -TUBITAK, Turkey www.tubitak.gov.tr

National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand www.nstda.or.th

Zentrum für Soziale Innovation (ZSI), Austria www.zsi.at

Ministry of State for Research and Technology (RISTEK) Indonesia www.ristek.go.id

National Centre for Scientific and Technological Information (NACESTI), Vietnam www.nacesti.vn

Institute of Asian Studies GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Germany www.giga-hamburg.de

Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement CIRAD, France www.cirad.fr

DEMOS - Think tank for everyday democracy (DEMOS) United Kingdom www.demos.uk

Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Réseau Asie, France www.reseau-asie.com

The Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey - TUBITAK UME Turkey www.ume.tubitak.gov.tr

Polska Akademia Nauk (PAN) Poland www.pan.pl

National Metrology Laboratory - SIRIM Berhad (NML-SIRIM), Malaysia www.sirim.my

Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia www.mosti.gov.my