WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE 1994 ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology, its operationalization and successful realization have become the framework by which COST projects and activities are conceptualized and implemented. The Plan of Action on S&T emphasizes the overall need to develop S&T programs that are socially and economically beneficial to ASEAN, particularly in addressing the need to boost the region's industrial competitiveness and at the same time maintain the integrity of the environment. How to meet this need is embodied by the Plan of Action in strategies that call for the development of effective coordination and management mechanisms, human resource development, information networking of centers of excellence, promotion of institution-industry technology transfer and promotion of public awareness.

A program that has assisted COST in operationalizing the Plan of Action on S&T is the ASEAN-UNDP ASP-5 Sub-Programme in Technology. The ASP-5 Sub-Programme in Technology was specifically formulated to enable ASEAN to take a proactive and systematized effort to devise means and mechanisms that will catalyze regional efforts for a sustainable, self-reliant and regionally relevant technology development cooperation.

The Sub-Programme has four elements, namely (1) Operationalization of the 1994 ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology; (2) ASEAN Science and Technology Management

Information Systems; (3) Public-Private Collaboration in Regional Science and Technology Development; and (4) Technology and Environment.

Element 1 - Operationalization of the 1994 ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology produced the Medium Term Programme fo, ASEAN Science and Technology Development which lays out the operational plan and specific work programme to implement the 1994 Plan of Action on S&T The document also specifies detailed coordination arrangements, responsible parties and possible sources of funding, including cost-sharing financing schemes. The production of this document entailed a review and analysis of the structures, working mechanisms, track record, strengths and weaknesses of the ASEAN S&T development co- operation system, as well as a close examination of wider development issues in ASEAN that need to be addressed through technology initiatives.

Under this element, a Roundtable Consultation on Networking of Industrial Research Institutes in ASEAN was organized to exchange information and generate ideas on possible institutional arrangements and coordination mechanisms to facilitate active private sector participation in R&D , training, and pro- vision of technical services. Another activity to be organized under Element I is a Roundtable Meeting on Technology Scan, to study how ASEAN might regularly and systematically survey the technology and industry environment, by compiling information on Dialogue partners as well as other relevant countries relating to their the S&T capabilities, core businesses, market access, major trading partners, existing linkages with ASEAN, previous experiences in development projects, potential for providing training to ASEAN nationals, prospects and modes for joint technology exploitation, and modalities for project financing and management, The need to development a Technology Scan mechanism as a tool for ASEAN S&T development planning is of such importance to COST that it was included among its flagship projects.

Element 2 - ASEAN Science and Technology Management Information Systems (ASTMIS) responds to the need to make available up-to-date information to measure and monitor the progress of science and technology endeavors in ASEAN so that analysis, planning, policy formulation and management of science and technology have a sound and valid basis. As the goal is to have an ASEAN-wide applicability, the development of common S&T indicators and a common reporting methodology was needed It was also recognized that there are areas in which new indicators are required. These include the assessment of technological needs and capabilities, R&D, industrial innovation and performance, industrial benchmarking and priority-set- ting. ASTMIS has taken the initial steps to develop such a common set of S&T indicators and a common reporting methodology. A follow-up project is needed to tackle the development of new indicators, specially those that re- late to measurement of technology and innovation performance.

This project component was completed in the middle of 1997, with the publication of a first Report on ASEAN S&T Indicators, the development, testing and installation of software for the ASTMIS, and training of users in each of the node institutions. Interested parties can now access ASTMIS by pointing their browsers to the website www:/ /astmis.astnet.org.xx, using the appropriate country code for an ASEAN member country to replace xx. For example, to access the node in Singapore, one must use sg.

ASTMIS forms the initial database for the broader ASEAN Science and Technology Information Network (ASTNET) which will contain other databases of interest to researchers, development planners and policy-makers, businessmen, managers, and the general public.