Jakarta, Indonesia – Representatives from across Asia gathered in Jakarta from 31 August to 1 September for the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation Policy Asia and the Pacific Network (STEPAN).
STEPAN currently brings together 21 member countries, with UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta serving as its secretariat.
As the network begins implementing its Action Plan 2026-2030, the meeting examined how a better understanding of national science, technology and innovation (STI) systems can help countries learn from one another and identify shared priorities across the region.
Opening the meeting, Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa, Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta, encouraged members to look across the region for common challenges, complementary strengths and opportunities for collaboration.
STEPAN has the potential to be more than a platform for meetings and information exchange. It can become a mechanism for turning collective intelligence into collective action, where countries identify gaps, learn from one another and work together on targeted priorities.
Maki Katsuno-HayashikawaDirector, UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta
This was echoed by Dr Inkyoung Sun, the newly appointed Chair of STEPAN and Research Fellow of Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), Republic of Korea, who highlighted the importance of building stronger connections across the network over the next five years.
STEPAN should turn mutual learning into practical policy collaboration and bring the experiences and perspectives of Asia to global STI policy discussions.
Dr Inkyoung SunChair, STEPAN
