Internationalisation

Through linkages with other key centres of Asian Studies, the Institute aims to provide a multidisciplinary and dynamic research environment for scholars engaging in research on Asian Studies. To this end, the Institute is also a founding member of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA), the Network of ASEAN-China Academic Institutes (NACAI), and the Borneo Studies Network (BSN).

Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA)

The SEASIA consortium aims to encourage region-based scholarship of Southeast Asia by linking key hubs of research, teaching and training. By capitalizing on the logistical and geopolitical advantages of being based in the region, the SEASIA consortium looks, through its work, to facilitate collaborative and synergistic scholarship between scholars from all over Southeast Asia through multilateral forums, workshops, and conferences.

Apart from UBD’s IAS, the consortium charter was signed by nine other leading hubs for Asian and Southeast Asian studies in the region, including: the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, Academia Sinica; the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University; the Indonesian Institute of Sciences; the Korean Association of Southeast Asian Studies; the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore; the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University; the Taiwan Association of Southeast Asian Studies; the Asian Center, University of the Philippines and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University (Secretariat).

The Consortium held its first biennial conference in December 2015. More details on both this conference and the consortium can be found on the Consortium website (http://seasia-consortium.org/)

Network of ASEAN-China Academic Institutes (NACAI)

The Institute of Asian Studies (UBD-IAS) is a founding member of the Network of ASEAN-China Academic Institutes (NACAI) with the following partners: Institute of Humanity and Social Sciences, Royal Academy of Cambodia; Center for China’s Relations with Neighboring Countries, Fudan University; ASEAN Studies Center, University of Indonesia; Asia Research Center, National University of Laos; Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya; Department of International Relations, University of Yangon; Asian Center, University of the Philippines; ASEAN Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University; and Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

Former Director Jeremy Jammes signed the NACAI MOU with all these academic partners on 28 May 2017 at Fudan University (read more here), Shanghai, China. The aim of this cooperation is to set up a pro-active platform of academic exchange and cooperation and to promote studies on ASEAN-China relations.

Borneo Studies Network (BSN)

As the third-largest island in the world, Borneo is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world, with a rich cultural heritage and natural environment that has significant implications for global research. To address the need for this research, as well as the need to establish a conducive and systematic environment for researchers of and in the region, the Borneo Studies Network was founded in 2012.

A Borneo-based partnership of research centres and institutions of higher education, the BSN promotes coordination and collaboration between members, with the larger aim of fostering competitiveness and research excellence both of and in Borneo.

BSN membership is currently composed of institutions from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia: multi-faculties from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (including IAS; Secretariat), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universitas Mulawarman (Samarinda-Indonesia), Universitas Lambung Mangkurat (Banjarmasin-Indonesia), Universitas Balikpapan (Indonesia), and Universitas Tanjungpura, Institut Dayakologi, Sekolah Tinggi Pastoral Keuskupan Agung and Mata Enggang Institut (all from Pontianak-Indonesia).

More details: http://borneostudies.org/