Singapore Hosts 67th Meeting Of Asean Committee On Science & Technology

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, April 23 (Bernama) -- Singapore is hosting the 67th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST-67) from Monday to Friday. Attended by nearly 200 prominent policy makers, scientists and academics, the meeting, organised by Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), sees senior officials from the 10 member states discussing strategies to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN in Science & Technology (S&T). The meeting will review the ASEAN Plan of Action for Science, Technology and Innovation 2015-2020, which will serve as the blueprint for the next phase of ASEAN’s S&T efforts. The eight subcommittees under the purview of ASEAN COST, which met on April 21-22, will also present their progress reports on biotechnology, sustainable energy research, microelectronics and information technology, and marine science and technology. The meeting will also discuss initiatives to encourage young talent to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers and the harmonisation of technical standards across ASEAN. In his opening address, Singapore COST Chairman and Managing Director of A*STAR Dr Raj Thampuran said a deep commitment to science and technology raises the competitiveness of companies and creates quality jobs. Malaysia is represented by Secretary General, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Dr. Rosli Mohamed. -- BERNAMA