Page - 27 - in options, Volume winter 2014/2015

institute news 27winter 2014/2015 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at news at iiasa In cooperation with National Member Organizations of Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, IIASA co-hosted a session on applied systems analysis as part of the ninth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Science and Technology Week (ASTW), which took place in August. ASTW showcases science and technology achievements in ASEAN member countries, relevant to the needs of the public and private sectors in the region. The aim of the session on applied systems analysis was to connect international expertise and experience with domestic challenges and initiatives. Participants included researchers, central and regional government agencies, science and technology leaders, decision makers, industry representatives, and media practitioners, as well as representatives from IIASA’s National Member Organizations in Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Gerhard Glatzel, IIASA Council Member for Austria, Austrian National Academy of Sciences, and Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, IIASA Council Member for Indonesia, Head of Indonesia National Committee for Applied Systems Analysis, took part in a keynote discussion on how applied systems analysis can support policy measures for complex problems in the ASEAN context. This  was followed by a panel discussion led by Florian Kraxner, Deputy Program Director, Ecosystems Services and Management, IIASA, on sharing Indonesia’s experience in applying systems analysis to address national challenges. One of these experiences includes the Tropical Flagship Initiative (TFI)—a new flagship project launched earlier this year by IIASA in cooperation with, among others, the Indonesia National Committee for Applied Systems Analysis (INCASA). The TFI aims to provide a new approach to tackling tropical deforestation through policy assessment and capacity building. PB www.iiasa.ac.at/events/ASTW-14 In June and July, Director General and CEO Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat and his advisor Chin-Min Lee made an official visit to the Republic of Korea and Malaysia to strengthen cooperation on global problems ranging from air pollution to tropical deforestation. They met with National Member Organizations, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), which have facilitated studies and capacity-building activities with in-country research partners. In Korea Kabat met with the President of NRF, Professor Min Keung Chung, and discussed ways to build on current collaborations, including a new study on using agent-based modeling to explore the resilience of Korea to a range of extreme events, development of a Korean version of IIASA’s GAINS model, IIASA’s role at the opening session of the 7th World Water Forum in Daegu in 2015, green growth, and forest cooperation. During his visit, Kabat took part in a national debate on Malaysia’s water future which was co-organized by ASM, IIASA, and the New Straits Times. Water management is one of the global problem areas where IIASA and Malaysia wish to strengthen collaborations. Meetings between Kabat and ASM President Tan Sri Datuk Ahmad Tajuddin  Ali and, subsequently, with Datuk Seri Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, also identified IIASA’s Tropical Flagship Initiative, postdoctoral program, the Alpbach–Laxenburg Group, and the Water Futures and Solutions initiative as fields where IIASA–Malaysian collaborations could be intensified. Details of IIASA’s collaborations with its NMO countries are available at www.iiasa.ac.at/infosheets. KP Indonesian seminar on applied systems analysis Enhancing collaboration with Korea and Malaysia Tropical deforestation for a pulpwood plantation development in Northern Riau, Indonesia. Photo: Wakx | Flickr.com (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) IIASA leaders visit the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) during their trip to Korea.