ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI)

The policies for the ASEAN S&T cooperation are set by the annual Meetings of the ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology. The ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) is responsible for setting directions, coordinating activities of subsidiary groups, creating public awareness of regional S&T activities and their contribution to economic development, and reviewing overall progress of collaboration, including the progress of its relations with the ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners as well as other external collaborators.

Sub-Committees

The Sub-Committees were established to oversee the management, coordination, evaluation and implementation of regional programmes and projects. The Sub-Committees are expected to assess the effectiveness and impact of their projects in strengthening the regional STI capabilities. The subsidiary bodies of COSTI include the following:

1. Sub-Committee on Biotechnology (SCB)
2. Sub-Committee on S&T Infrastructure & Resources Development (SCIRD)
3. Sub-Committee on Food Science & Technology (SCFST)
4. Sub-Committee on Meteorology & Geophysics (SCMG)
5. Sub-Committee on Microelectronics and Information Technology (SCMIT)
6. Sub-Committee on Materials & Science Technology (SCMST)
7. Sub-Committee on Marine Science & Technology (SCMSAT)
8. Sub-Committee on Space Technology & Applications (SCOSA)
9. Sub-Committee on Sustainable Energy Research (SCSER)

Partners

ASEAN Charter calls for ASEAN to develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogue cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. ASEAN External Relations sets out the framework for ASEAN to widen and deepen its relations with external parties through the conferment of the formal status of Dialogue Partner (DPs), Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDPs) and Development Partner.

The implementation of various initiatives in the past decades has been supported, to a large extent, by ASEAN Dialogue and other Partners. As such, COSTI has formalised cooperation with them through the establishment of platforms such as joint committees, working groups and/or dialogues and consultation with the following DPs:

1. People’s Republic of China 
2. Republic of Korea
3. European Union
4. Republic of India
5. Japan
6. Russian Federation
7. ASEAN Plus Three (APT)
8. United States of America
9. Commonwealth of Australia
10. Dominion of Canada
11. Islamic Republic of Pakistan
12. United Kingdom
13. Federal Republic of Germany
14. The Italian Republic
15. The Republic of Türkiye

Furthermore, COSTI has established official collaboration with External Partners through projects in STI. The ASEAN COSTI external partners are listed as follows:

1. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
2. The Asia Foundation (TAF)
3. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)