Funded by the US. State Department between 2018 - 2022, the goal of the Mekong - U.S. Partnership Young Scientist Program was to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and the creation of a network of young scientists in the Mekong - U.S. Partnership countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
As implementing partners of this program, Arizona State University (ASU) leveraged its decades of experience in sponsored project implementation in Southeast Asia through the Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP); the Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) and the Young Southeast Asia Leaders Initiative (YSEALI).
The program supported youth and young professionals by creating opportunities for collaboration. Joint research, workshops and symposiums encouraged the sharing of scientific knowledge, ideas and experience, including authorship of peer-reviewed research papers. The program had two objectives: to foster and promote scientific collaboration within the region, and to promote knowledge sharing on science and technology best practices and research ideas.
The program supported the goals of creating a scientific research community of young scholars in the Mekong - U.S. Partnership member countries with the following activities:
4-Week Thematic Placement Program
ASU hosted the 4-week placement program during the summer of each year, at a partner institution in a different Mekong - U.S. Partnership country. The program delivered skill-building workshops, allowing participants to apply skills learned toward research initiatives and new technology development. The Mekong - U.S. Partnership Young Scientist Program is the first step in the participants' journey.
Annual Scientific Symposium
During the fourth quarter of each year, the Mekong - U.S. Partnership young scientists were invited to participate in a two-day symposium that included guest speakers and networking opportunities. A poster session was held, allowing the country teams to showcase their projects and collect additional feedback from guests of academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations; formal research proposals were developed from this input. Each year the symposium was hosted in a different country.
Competition for Seed Funds
Each year, the program organized an annual competition where participants were invited to submit their project proposals before a reviewing committee for a chance to receive $15,000 in seed funding to implement their projects. Proposals were selected for funding based on feasibility, innovation, impact, and replicability.
| Year | Institute Theme | Program Host Country | Scientific Symposium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Water, Energy and Environmental Sustainability |
Vietnam |
Vietnam |
| 2019 | Public Health and Bioinformatics | Lao PDR | Myanmar |
| 2020 - 2021 | The program was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | - | - |
| 2022 | Agricultural Technology and Innovation | Vietnam | N/A |
2022 Mekong - U.S. Partnership Agritech Hybrid Incubator Program
Using Lean Startup and Strategic Innovation methods and tools to create commercial value in the agricultural technology (Agritech) sector.
Program Dates:
Online component: June 6 – 27, 2022
In-person component (Tentative): July 11 – 15, 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Application Deadline:
March 31, 2022