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International Science Council Asia-Pacific

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International Science Council Asia-Pacific

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Working to ensure regional needs and priorities are represented in the global agenda.

The ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific is funded by the Australian government and led by the Australian Academy of Science. The International Science Council (ISC) Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC RFP-AP) is hosted by the Australian Academy of Science. This five-year program (2023-2028) is working to ensure that regional needs and priorities are adequately represented in the ISC's global agenda, that regional voices are actively engaged in the governance and management of the ISC's work, and that the region benefits from the results of that work.

03/11/2026

Two ways to level up your science communication this November!

✒️ AI for Science Communication, Discovery and Visibility
📅 12 November | 🕔 5-7 pm AEDT | Online

How is AI changing the way science gets communicated? Join Module 4 of our training series to learn how to use AI to plan, draft and summarise your science communication narrative and planning, and how to check its outputs and keep your own judgement front and centre.

Register: https://council.science/events/ai-for-science-communication-discovery-and-visibility/

✒️ Get mentored on your science communication project
📅 24 November | 🕔 5-7 pm AEDT | Online

Got a media story, public engagement idea or research narrative you want to sharpen? Apply for a 15-minute one-on-one session with an experienced science communicator. Up to eight projects will be selected, and you don’t need to have joined earlier modules.

Open to ISC RFP-AP members, affiliated organisations, and early- and mid-career researchers. Applications close Monday 16 November!

Apply: https://council.science/events/https-council-science-events-science-communication-tutorial-2/

23/10/2026

The RFP-AP was thrilled to welcome our new Advisory Council members, while also taking a moment to recognise and thank those who are rotating off the Council for their valued contributions.

We are delighted to welcome Professors Caroline McMillen, Nadira Karunaweera, Steven Chown and Junko Hibiya to the Advisory Council. We look forward to the experience, insights and fresh perspectives they will bring, and will be a treasured asset to ISC RFP-AP and its work across the region.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Professors Pal Ahluwalia and Yukio Himiyama for their significant contributions and guidance during their time on the Council. Their commitment, wisdom and support have helped shape and strengthen the work of ISC RFP-AP, and we are deeply grateful for the impact they have made.

We look forward to working together and continuing to advance science cooperation across Asia and the Pacific with you.

07/10/2026

Tupu Pacific Research Grants Round 2 is now open!

Run in partnership with the Pacific Islands Universities Regional Network (PIURN), Tupu funds research partnerships between Pacific universities and their Australian partners.

- Projects must be multi-country (involving researchers from the Pacific region and Australia)
- Each project may request up to AUD 40,000 in total funding
- Projects must support one or more of:
🌏 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
🌏 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent
🌏 The Pacific Regional Research Agenda

Applications close 11.59pm AEDT, 16 November 2026.

Find out more in the first comment!

21/09/2026

A week of learning, networking, and connections – the launch of our Asia-Pacific Academic Mentoring Programme 2026 brought researchers from across Asia and the Pacific to Ngunnawal Country in Canberra Australia, to experience the best of Australian science and meet their mentor. Congrats to this year's cohort!

17/09/2026

It takes a village to raise a researcher; that's the spirit behind our 2026-27 Academic Mentoring Programme, launched this week at Science at the Shine Dome.

This year, 28 mentees from Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand and Vietnam met their Australian mentors at the Australian Academy of Science Science at the Shine Dome event. This year's group, nearly triple in size from our first year, was joined for the first time by a dedicated Indonesian cohort supported by KONEKSI.

Aradhana Deesh, a mentee from Fiji, is hoping her mentor, Associate Professor Wei Xu, will help her sharpen her research writing on agricultural production — work that could one day help lift her country's GDP.

One relationship at a time, that's what this programme builds: confidence, skills, and networks that carry a career forward.

Welcome to all our new mentors and mentees. We can't wait to see where this year takes you!

See the complete list of mentors and mentees in the link in first comment.

02/09/2026

🔊Don't forget: Our next Science Communication training course on Media Training and Speaking with Journalists is coming up soon!

Join us online on 18 September, 17:00–19:00 AEST (07:00–09:00 UTC) to build confidence and clarity for media engagement. We'll cover:
✅How journalists work and what newsrooms need
✅Preparing key messages and anticipating questions
✅Delivering concise responses across print, radio, TV and podcast
✅Managing uncertainty, misinformation and difficult questions.

Led by James Fitzgerald, Programme Director at SMK, with a Q&A featuring Dacia Herbulock, Director of the Science Media Centre of New Zealand and Dr Sinead Chen, CEO of Media Center Taiwan.

Register in the link in first comment.

01/09/2026

Last week, the RFP-AP farewelled our 2025-26 cohort of the Asia-Pacific Academic Mentoring Programme.

Hearing from the mentees about how the programme helped their confidence levels, their careers, and their networks, was a testament to the impact of a good mentor in an academic's career. And hearing what the mentors had to share highlighted what a worthwhile and fulfilling experience mentoring could be.

We even heard about research collaborations between mentees!

We're so excited for this network to continue collaborating and empowering each other. Thank you to all our mentors who gave their time and expertise selflessly, and to the mentees who engaged in the programme in earnest.

Stay tuned as we announce the 2026-27 cohort during the Academy of Science's Science at the Shine Dome event this month!

27/08/2026

The RFP-AP is looking forward to hearing from our Regional Members at the next Member meeting on 8 September, 4-5pm AEST.

We have so much to share about our activities and programmes, including our engagments with Pacific researchers in the lead-up to COP31.

Our Regional Members are warmly welcomed to share their updates and raise any topics that the RFP-AP may be able to support.

Register here: https://council.science/events/isc-rfp-ap-member-meeting-september-26/

20/08/2026

Applications are now open for the Regional Challenge Research Initiative (RCRI) Alpha Cohort, with grants between AUD $50,000-$145,000 available!

Delivered by ISC RFP-AP in partnership with CERN APAC, this round supports collaborative applied research on:
♻️ Circular economy
🗑️ Waste reduction
🌱 Sustainable resource use

Waste volumes in Asia and the Pacific are projected to reach 110–115 million tonnes by 2030, according to UNEP. This funding program is seeking research-led, cross-disciplinary solutions to address this challenge.

✅ Grants of AUD $50,000–$145,000
✅ AUD $580,000 available across 4–5 projects
✅ 12–15 month projects
✅ Consortia must include an Australian institution plus at least two partner institutions from across Asia and the Pacific.

Partnerships with government, industry and civil society are encouraged.

Applications close 5 October 2026
Learn more and apply: https://council.science/our-work/rcri/

This program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources through the Regional Challenge Research Initiative.

06/08/2026

Thirteen new science-policy projects are getting off the ground across Asia and Australia! 🌏

From citizen science seed banks in Bangladesh to flood intelligence training in India, the 2026–2027 Seeds of Science, Asia-Australia grants are backing researchers and policymakers working together on real community problems.

ISC-RFP-AP and .asia are proud to support thirteen grantees with funding and mentorship as they tackle issues like air pollution, water governance, and women's health across the region by bringing science and policy together.

Read more: https://council.science/news/seeds-of-science-asia-2-recipients/

Address

Ngunnawal Country, Ian Potter House, 9 Gordon Street, Acton
Canberra, ACT
2601

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://council.science/about-us/asia-pacific/

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