ASEAN and the European Union (EU) introduced a new initiative named the Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE) in Higher Education at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and Sujiro Seam, EU Ambassador to ASEAN, presided over the launch event of the SCOPE Higher Education program.
The program aims to improve sustainable connectivity between the EU and ASEAN, as well as within ASEAN. It will provide €9.3 million in funding until January 2028 to support all ASEAN Member States. The initiative aims to enhance student and academic mobility in ASEAN, promote cross-regional university networks between the EU and ASEAN for research, and bolster vocational education. The focus will be on advancing the green transition, sustainability practices, and digitalization efforts.
“The collaboration between ASEAN and the EU through this programme will undoubtedly enrich our educational landscapes, fostering mutual understanding and driving collective progress. These partnerships not only empower our future leaders but also serve as bridges that close divides and create equitable opportunities for all’’, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, said.
“Southeast Asia is a key region, and we want to further develop sustainable and trusted connections with ASEAN countries. People-to-people connectivity and investment in education and research are key components of the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership”, Sujiro Seam, EU Ambassador to ASEAN, said. “Today, we celebrated the launch of the SCOPE Higher Education programme and explored avenues to further develop this cooperation in the context of the EU Global Gateway Strategy, working with partners for the betterment of our regions and their people”, he added.
Sustainable connectivity is one of the key priority areas for EU cooperation with ASEAN. The SCOPE Higher Education Project is part of the overall EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE) that the EU adopted in April 2023. In addition to the higher education project, the SCOPE package with a total commitment of €60 million will cover other sectors such as trade, intellectual property rights, air and maritime transport, digital connectivity, energy, and investments.
The SCOPE program is a component of the Global Gateway, a fresh European strategy aimed at fostering sustainable investments and connections globally. This strategy promotes intelligent, clean, and secure links across various sectors including climate and energy, digital technology, health, transportation, education, and research. The SCOPE Higher Education program builds upon the achievements of the EU's Support to Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (SHARE) initiative. SHARE has granted 590 scholarships for intra-ASEAN and ASEAN-Europe exchanges and facilitated more than 1,600 virtual exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the current year, the EU has awarded Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's degree scholarships to over 200 ASEAN students through the Erasmus Plus program, enabling them to pursue studies across two or more European countries. From 2014 to 2023, nearly 12,000 ASEAN students and scholars engaged in short-term studies and teaching exchanges in Europe, while approximately 6,000 European students and scholars participated in similar opportunities in ASEAN. In research, the EU has funded 90 grants through the Horizon Europe program from 2021 to 2024, involving 109 institutions from ASEAN, with a total EU contribution amounting to €10.6 million.
