Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST, President Koichi Kitazawa), with the planning and coordination by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, will initiate the Asia Science and Technology Portal (ASTP) on June 7, 2010. ASTP aims to disseminate science and technology-related information from 16 East Asian countries including the 10 ASEAN* countries, Japan, Republic of Korea, China, India, Australia, and New Zealand (ASEAN+6), through the Internet to Asia and the world.
This portal will provide information mainly on research opportunities such as research funding and R&D job postings, as well as meetings and events in Asia, and articles and commentaries. This information, currently widely dispersed across East Asia, will be consolidated into this one-stop information portal with the cooperation of the 16 participating countries.
Through this project, ASTP promotes joint international research and exchange of personnel throughout the region.
URL for ASTP: http://astp.jst.go.jp
- * ASEAN members include:
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
<Background of ASTP>
The ASTP project is carried out as an initiative in science and technology diplomacy of Japan, planned and proposed by the Cabinet Office and operated and managed by JST. As a joint enterprise, 16 participating countries will contribute to the ASTP project.
Initially, the Japan’s government proposed creating an “Open Access Database” for promoting personnel exchanges and joint research among the countries of the region at the “Informal ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and Korea) Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology” held in Malaysia in August 2006.
In addition, the “Japan’s Government Report on Science and Technology Diplomacy” submitted at Council for Science and Technology Policy (February 2010) elaborates on the creation of a “mutual database for the Asia region” as the basis for supporting the build up of a “global human resources network.”
As the first step for achieving these goals, JST created this portal based on the Cabinet Office’s initiative.
To consolidate an international framework of the 16 countries in East Asia, the Cabinet Office has contacted, through diplomatic channels, each government for their cooperation and support. Further, Japan introduced the concept and mission of ASTP at the 2nd ASEAN-Japan Cooperation Committee on Science and Technology in Vientiane, Laos (May 20, 2010).
<The first attempt as a joint enterprise of the 16 countries (ASEAN+6)>
Research-related information had been widely dispersed throughout the participant countries and requires much effort to consolidate in a comprehensive manner. The portal enables researchers to gather an unprecedented amount of consolidated information from the region. ASTP promotes joint international research and exchange of personnel in the region.
Looking at other regions, such a portal as the “Community Research and Development Information Service for Science, Research and Development (CORDIS)” operated by the EU’s Publication Office, exists and serves the purpose of providing science and technology-related information focusing on research opportunities that transcend national borders. ASTP is the first attempt to provide such science and technology-related information with the cooperation of East Asian countries.
<Target>
Young and promising researchers who wish to conduct joint international research
<Contents at ASTP>
ASTP provides information such as:
- * Research Opportunities (Research Funding, R&D Job Postings)
- * Meetings and Events in Asia
- * Articles and Commentaries related to Joint International Research implemented in the East Asian Region
- * Links (Research Results, Human Resource Development & Research Cooperation, User Facilities)
- * R&D Personnel Directories
- * Universities, Public Research Institutes, Academic Societies
- * Life in Foreign Countries (Housing, Education, Visas, etc.)
- * S&T Policies and Indicators in Participating Countries
<Features>
- * Information can be searched by country, subject area and keyword.
- * RSS feeds are available for daily updates.
- * Users may communicate through posting comments.
<What they say about ASTP?>
1. Mr. Qiao Xiaodong, Director, Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC)
“It will be a great challenge for ISTIC. Information that should appear on ASTP is scattered throughout China at present. Accordingly, we have to gather and select the optimal data.”
* ISTIC is an institution that specializes in science and technology information and is affiliated with Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. It is responsible for circulation and analysis of information related to science and technology, development and management of the state-of-the-art science and technology platforms, and educating information experts. Its archives contain a total of 22 million R&D reports and records of academic information transferred in and out of China.
2. Dr. Choi Heeyoon, Director General, Knowledge Information Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI)
“We in Korea would like to cooperate. We would like to carry on this initiative as a positive project between countries.”
* KISTI is an institution that specializes in science and technology information and is affiliated with Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Korea. It is responsible for the circulation of information related to science and technology, analysis of state-of-the-art strategic information, and the building of an advanced infrastructure for super computers. Its archives contain a total of 85.6 million pieces of academic information, R&D reports, and patents inside and outside of Korea.
<Contact>
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
ASTP Secretariat
Department of Advanced Databases
5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5214-8406
E-mail: 