Project Description

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National science granting councils play a pivotal role in driving innovation and societal progress, particularly in developing countries. Their close ties to policymakers and beneficiaries, along with their profound understanding of national research environments and interests, position them uniquely and strategically to navigate the evolving complexities of research funding and management. These councils also play a critical role in fostering international collaborations essential for pooling expertise and resources to address global scientific and societal challenges.

In Southeast Asia, national investment in research and innovation (R&I) varies widely. While Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand allocate significant resources to R&D, countries such as Laos and Cambodia face persistent challenges due to limited funding, weak institutional capacity, and fragmented coordination. This project aims to strengthen national research funding systems in Southeast Asia, particularly in Laos and Cambodia, by enhancing their capacity to finance, manage, and coordinate research aligned with national and regional development objectives.

Project Objective

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• Establish, formalise and strengthen SGCs: The main aim here is to assist Cambodia and Laos in establishing their own national science granting councils (or similar organisations) and enhancing their effectiveness. This involves developing foundational structure, sound institutional policies, technical and operational readiness, and sustainable resource mobilisation strategies.

• Strengthen technical, administrative, and strategic capabilities of research institutions and universities to design, implement, and monitor research and development initiatives, enhancing evidence-generating capacity to absorb and use research funding to the benefit of national development.

• Build a robust network for SGCs and foster an inclusive regional STI (research) ecosystem: This objective focuses on creating strong regional and international networks and partnerships to support the new SGCs in Cambodia and Laos, ensuring their operational effectiveness and financial sustainability. It also aims to integrate them into the global research community through collaborative seed funding mechanisms and joint research calls addressing key regional issues. This will enhance connectivity among SGCs and promote an inclusive Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) ecosystem across the region.

Project Leader

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Project Members

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