Programme / Championing Young Scientists in Southeast Asia: Opportunities for Inter-regional Harmonisation in Promoting Inclusivity, Excellence and Integrity

Southeast (SE) Asia is a rapidly developing region, home to biodiversity hotspots and multicultural societies. The region’s unique colonial past has created a strong desire to define its own narrative, particularly in science, technology and innovation (STI). Despite a relatively small global R&D footprint, SE Asia boasts a vibrant and diverse research community that is increasingly encouraged to contribute to societal progress, beyond pure knowledge generation.

The SE Asian experience contending with growing disenchantment and conflicts in science manifesting in harmful anti-vaccine sentiments and fake news, latent corruption of science, and obstacles in translating the promise of science into societal benefit provide learning opportunities transcending the region.

This forum provides a unique opportunity for the European and global STI community to discover the perspectives of SE Asian young scientists in their efforts to address these challenges faced in STI enterprises through several flagship initiatives such as the establishment of: (1) a training module for the responsible conduct of research to promote science integrity and leadership, (2) an online popular science portal to increase science literacy in the region, and (3) a collaborative network among scientists and science communicators to engage with other stakeholders such as the public, industry and policy makers.

This session aims to (1) highlight the unique and shared challenges and opportunities in the SE Asian STI ecosystem, (2) showcase the on-going efforts by young scientists in the region in promoting scientific integrity and excellence, advocacy and inclusivity, and (3) identify opportunities to collaborate through interregional discourse. Ultimately, the forum aspires to promote a greater appreciation of ASEAN contributions towards global STI, foster collaboration opportunities and enhance interregional harmonisation with local action in addressing global Sustainable Development Goals.