TheDelegation of the European Union to Viet Nam together with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Viet Nam co-hosted two regional events to foster cooperation on research and innovation between the EU and ASEAN. The events constituted a Pilot Initiative to stimulate cooperation on Innovation and the Regional Information and Brokerage Event on R&I projects.

At the opening session, EU Ambassador to Viet Nam Julien Guerrier said: "Innovation is of key importance to address the global challenges both the European Union and the ASEAN countries face. Bringing startups together will help speed up the green transition and lead to market access and boost the competitiveness of both regions. I also very much welcome the research opportunities and encouraged participants to submit solid proposals."

Such region-to-region cooperation will bring forward broader partnerships and offer an increase of market access opportunities and stronger research and innovation capacity, in line with the EU global approach to international cooperation.

In the welcoming remarks, Deputy Minister of MOST Hoang Minh, COSTI Chair of Viet Nam, said: "Viet Nam is always proud to be a responsible and active country with significant contributions to the ASEAN - EU relationship as it is today. In recent years, Viet Nam has issued major guidelines, policies and orientations to develop innovation and startups, as the Party and State consider science-technology and innovation as a key driving force to create improvement in productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy."

Dr Chhuon Sambath Ratanak, Chair of the ASEAN SCSER,welcomed the regional events between Europe and ASEAN. He remarked that these events would create opportunities to learn from each other and strengthen ongoing research efforts aligned with the ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Science, Technology, and Innovation.

A highlight of the pilot Europe-ASEAN Innovation Event was the pitching session for start-ups from both the EU and ASEAN, presenting innovative solutions that aim to address global challenges and seeking to speed up the green transition. The other regional information and brokerage event focused on unlocking joint research opportunities on climate change adaptation and local resistance towards sustainable green and blue economies.

The events were endorsed by the ASEAN Committee of Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI), ASEAN Sub-Committee on Sustainable Energy and Research (SCSER) and supported by the ASEAN Secretariat. At the events, participants took the opportunity to discuss and exchange information on the innovation ecosystem and the research cooperation opportunities in both regions.

Cooperation on research and innovation between the EU and ASEAN has been conducted in a Team Europe approach, with many EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe having bilateral programmes with the ASEAN Member States or under the Global Gateway.

Background

Since 2008, the EU and the ASEAN Member States hold a dialogue on a regular basis to discuss policies and priority areas of cooperation on science, technology and innovation. At the last Dialogue meeting on 20 October 2023 in Bohol, green technologies were retained as one of the priority areas. The organisation of the 9^th call under the Joint Funding Scheme (JFS) reflects this.

The joint research should lead to better knowledge and research and innovation capacity on Climate Change Adaptation and Local Resilience, covering three key areas promoting sustainable green and blue economies. Find out more details about the Call, participating countries, eligibility criteria and application procedure here; deadline for submissions: 31 Jan 2025.On a pilot basis, it was also agreed to organise a Regional Innovation Eventconnecting innovation actors from Europe and ASEAN (startups, innovative SMEs and researchers with innovative ideas), aiming at bringing innovative technologies and solutions on circular economy and clean energy. About 20 startups (10 from Europe and 10 from ASEAN) participated in pitching session to present their business proposals to relevant stakeholders. For more information see here.

All ASEAN Member States can also participate in most calls of proposals under the EUs' research and Innovation programme Horizon Europe, and receive funding from the EU, except Singapore and Brunei Darussalam who must bring their own funding. Overall, the participation of ASEAN Member States in Horizon Europeis good (see statistics) but with potential for increased cooperation. Both regional events should also create a growing interest of participation in Horizon Europe.

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