Annual Reports

MESSAGE FROM CHAIR OF INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Prof Tommy Koh

ARI enters its second decade with an impressive international reputation as a choice venue for doing cutting edge research on Asia and a sought-after partner for international collaborations. Established projects, such as Asian Biopoleis, the Aceh Project, and the Asian MetaCentre for Population and Sustainable Development Analysis, continue to thrive, even as a new research programme, Migrating Out of Poverty Consortium, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, through the University of Sussex, takes off.

The Institute continues to expand its funding support base to include more local and international organisations. Besides long time supporters, such as the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, Lee Foundation, and various Singapore Ministries, the Wellcome Trust in UK, ARI and its researchers have received funding support for their activities from the Korea Foundation, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Australian Research Council, The America Council of Learned Societies, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation. Recent co-organisers of its events include the Department of Geography at the Royal Holloway University of London, the IGU Commission on Gender and Geography, the Singapore Heritage Society, and the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

ARI’s strong partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and other units in NUS has resulted in many collaborative projects and events, as well as joint efforts in bringing to Singapore some of the best researchers working on Asia. Last year’s researchers invited to ARI include distinguished scholars, such as Emeritus Professor Judith Nagata (Tan Chin Tuan Visiting Senior Research Fellow of Malay Studies jointly at ARI and the Southeast Asian Studies Programme), Professor Michael Fischer, Professors Leonard Andaya (Tan Chin Tuan Visiting Professor jointly appointed to the Department of Malay Studies) and Barbara Andaya (Tan Chin Tuan Visiting Professor jointly appointed to the Department of History), and Professor Kenneth Dean (Lim Chong Yah Visiting Research Professor).

ARI public lectures and seminars featured some prominent speakers, such as Sir Geoffrey Lloyd from Cambridge University and Mr Ted C. Fishman (bestselling author of China Inc. and Shock of Gray). Besides its flagship events, Asia Trends and Inter-Asia Roundtable, the Institute co-organised the Second China-India-Singapore Dialogue on Higher Education as it is increasingly active in promoting intellectual exchanges on topics of common interest to Asian countries. We can expect more exciting events as well as path-breaking research from its new focus on inter-Asia connections.