Top science and technology officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will meet for the third informal Asean Ministerial Meeting in Tagaytay City today to discuss cooperation and multilateral agreement issues aimed at beefing up science and technology's (S&T) role in advancing the region's economies.

The Department of Science and Technology will host and coordinate the event to be participated in by the ministers and representatives of the 10-member Asean.

Science Secretary Estrella Alabastro will take the lead in the discussions.

The Asean Ministers for Science and Technology decide on S&T cooperation policies for the region. Discussions will focus on implementation of jointly funded S&T projects and activities recommended during the previous ministerial meeting.

Jointly funded projects in the pipeline include Asean-India plant biotechnology for crop improvement and enhanced utilization of natural resources, Asean-India cooperation and development of raw materials and neodymium-ion-boron magnets and application, and Asean-China cooperation on functional food.

The Philippines takes a vital research and development role in these projects.

Major sources of funds that support Asean S&T projects are dialogue partners, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, US and the United Nations Development Program. Dialogue partners contributed in about 87.21 percent of the total project costs for 2002-2004.

The ministers will also explore new and steady resources in support of the Asean Science Fund that may include private sector participation, commercializing COST publications (e.g proceedings, scientific reports, Asean S&T policy guidelines) and other investment methods.

They are also expected to sign the Ministerial Declaration on the Establishment and Operation of the Asean Virtual Institute of Science and Technology (Avist), a long-term development goal designed to meet Asean's need for future-oriented S&T human resource development program.

Avist aims to provide continuing professional education and vocational training courses on S&T using state-of-the-art information and communication technologies and Internet satellites.

The ministers will also thresh out preparations for the Seventh Asean S&T Week proposed to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August 2005.