SEA-EU-NET · Facilitating the Bi-Regional EU-ASEAN Science and Technology Dialog

SEA-EU-NET will increase the quality, quantity, profile and impact of the bi-regional S&T cooperation between SEA countries of ASEAN and MS and AS of EU. S&T, essential for a strong knowledge-based economy, underpins policies necessary for governance, and contributes to cohesive social visions and models. S&T excellence also requires global connectivity and an ongoing dialogue. This proposal supports the internationalisation policy of EU and objectives of FP7 of EU. It contributes to S&T foundation essential to the EU’s political, economic and social objectives. There is great potential in strengthening the participation of SEA in FP7 and for a conjoint European involvement in SEA S&T. Constraining factors include insufficient awareness of opportunities, inadequate connections amongst researchers, establishing partnerships, complexity of S&T programs, and the asynchronous funding systems. Thus increased SEA-EU cooperation requires targeted measures integrating and strengthening the S&T dialogue in a coherent way. The SEA-EU-NET will deliver measures to increase SEA-EU cooperation amongst academic, industrial and government stakeholders. Measures include implementation of joint for a strengthening the bi-regional and bilateral dialogue, analysing S&T structures, reporting to EU-presidencies thus incorporating recent political developments, and generally highlighting EU-ASEAN initiatives. In addition the project builds a network of stakeholders in the SEA region while at the same time linking it to other existing and upcoming ERA-, INCO-NET, and thematic EU-FP projects thus facilitating the development of a coherent EU-level approach on international S&T cooperation. Based on these structures SEA-EU-NET will also address global issues of mutual interest in regards to the challenges of the globalisation of research and reaching the global Millennium Goals by recommending joint S&T related activities and developing joint scenarios.