APEC to Honor Outstanding Ocean Researcher

APEC to Honor Outstanding Ocean Researcher

Issued By the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation

Singapore, 18 Mar 2013 - APEC member economies have announced that they will honor a young scientist in 2013 whose collaborative work in the region has made an outstanding contribution to sustainable ocean development.

The theme of this year’s APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education, also known as the ASPIRE Prize, reflects members’ focus on boosting cooperation that can help to generate innovative, environmentally and economically sustainable management solutions for the region’s oceans and waterways.

“The innovations, scholarly works and cross-border scientific collaborations of the APEC region’s scientists will help us achieve sustained economic benefits from ocean resources as well as the sustainable development of marine environments and marine-resource dependent communities,” said Prof. Dr. Ir. Gusti Muhammad Hatta MSi, the Indonesian Minister for Research and Technology.

“As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is proud to bring attention to innovative young scientists through the 2013 ASPIRE Prize who are pioneers in fields of crucial importance to sustainable ocean development.”

Asia alone accounted for 89 percent of world aquaculture production by volume and more than 87 percent of all people employed in the fisheries sector globally in 2010, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s most recent data. It also accounted for two-thirds of all human fish consumption in 2009.

“The annual ASPIRE Prize celebrates the interaction between the APEC region’s researchers, universities, research centers and businesses,” said Dr. Alan Bollard, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat. “These relationships foster cutting-edge ideas and technologies that result in more robust, integrated and sustainable economic activity.”

“We look forward to receiving many high-caliber candidates,” Dr. Bollard added. “Their work helps to safeguard oceans and marine resources in the Asia-Pacific, and further APEC members’ priority to foster greater sustainability with equity.”

The 2013 ASPIRE Prize is targeting young scientists from APEC economies who specialize in fields such as oceanography and marine sciences, aquaculture and fisheries science, hydrology, hydrography, and costal geography. The merit of their collaborative accomplishments must be evidenced by scholarly publication.

“Sustainable growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific increasingly depends on scientific innovations and solutions born from collaboration,” said Prof. Dr. Amin Soebandrio, Lead Shepherd of the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation which administers the ASPIRE Prize.

“The research that is being conducted across APEC economies illustrates the region’s progress in facilitating greater collaboration and helps to deliver discoveries that redefine how business is conducted and how lives are lead.”

Each APEC member economy may nominate one individual under 40 years of age for the 2013 ASPIRE Prize which is sponsored by Wiley and Elsevier, respectively, and carries US$25,000 in prize money. The submission deadline is 3 May 2013.

Further information on the award nomination process is available on the 2013 ASPIRE Prize website or by contacting Mr. Mikiharu Shimizu, Program Director for the APEC Policy

Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation, at mk12@apec.org.

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ENDS

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