Call for nominations: The ISC is seeking Members for the Advisory Council of the Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific

In July 2023, the ISC signed an agreement with the Australian Academy of Sciences to enable the establishment, administration, and management of an ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (RFP-AP) for the period of 2023 to 2028. In addition to support from the ISC, the RFP-AP is supported by a generous grant from the Australian Government.

Read the announement

A new ISC regional presence in the Asia-Pacific Region to be established at the Australian Academy of Science

Launch of the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific

The ISC is now seeking nominations for exceptional candidates to serve on the ISC RFP-AP Advisory Council as a subregional or strategic member.

Structure

The ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific operates under the advice and guidance of a nine-member Advisory Council (including two co-chairs, four subregional members, two strategic members, and the RFP-AP Director as ex-officio member). The Advisory Council will be co-chaired by Karina Batthyány (member of the ISC Governing Board and Executive Secretary of ISC Member CLACSO) and Chennupati Jagadish (President of the Australian Academy of Science). It is supported by a Secretariat, which is based at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra Australia and directed by Petra Lundgren.

The RFP-AP Advisory Council will comprise one representative from each of the four sub-regions nominated by an ISC Member:

🟡 South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan)
🟢 East Asia (China, Japan, Mongolia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea)
🟣 Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore. Thailand, Timor-Leste)
🔵 Oceania (Pacific Island Nations, New Zealand, Australia)

In addition, two strategic Advisory Council members will be selected from the nomination pool to ensure discipline and gender diversity and to strengthen strategic partnerships.

Member engagment

To ensure the RFP-AP can receive broad input from the Asia-Pacific region, virtual meetings with the Advisory Council and the ISC membership will be conducted at least twice per year. These provide an opportunity for ISC Members to:

Hear about current and planned program activities of the RFP-AP,
Provide input towards the programs and priorities of the RFP-AP,
Communicate country and organisational priorities and programs among other Members, and
Support regional activities and ensure regional priorities are heard at the ISC global level.

Eligibility

The eligibility and requirements to become a member of the Advisory Council are:

Involvement with an ISC Member organization in Asia and the Pacific
Experience in developing regional and/or national science networks
Experience in science-policy and science-and-society interactions
Having outstanding networks and convening power in the scientific, policy, business, or any other sector relevant to the ISC’s mission and objectives

Nominations from early career researchers associated with young academies and young associations are especially encouraged.

Please find more information on the duties and work modalities of the Advisory Council members in the Terms of Reference.

Online nomination form

Should you be interested in nominating for the Advisory Council, please complete the online form below by 27 August 2023. Nominations must be submitted by a representative of an ISC Member organization (“Nominator”). Self-nominations are not accepted.