Description

Fiscal Year 2012-2013 was a significant period for SEAMEO BIOTROP as it redefined its vision to become a “Leading Centre in enhancing and promoting the real values of tropical biology in Southeast Asia” in the light of the current regional concerns in poverty, food security and safety, biodiversity, environment, and climate change. This vision provides the direction for the Centre to take off from the usual basic orientation to a more applied perspective in implementing its research and development, capacity building and community development, and information exchange mandates under its 9th five-Year Development Plan (2012-2017). It also emphasizes the need to utilize tropical biology for two important purposes, namely : for community welfare and environmental integrity which now serve as the Centre’s program thrusts. This new vision and program thrusts necessitated the Centre to adopt a new organizational structure, implement new special initiatives and, at the same time, strengthen its existing programs and services during the period in review.

Ever mindful of optimizing always its available resources, SEAMEO BIOTROP generated outputs during the period in review towards the achievement of its vision and goals along SEAMEO’s three key results, namely: regional leadership, regional visibility, and solid resource base.

On Regional Leadership

SEAMEO BIOTROP completed 28 research projects as part of its 8th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP 2007-2012) and started the implementation of 25 new ones as part of its 9th FYDP (2012-2017) during the period in review. The completed research projects covered a wide range of concerns on pest and disease management, biosystematics, natural products and waste management, water ecosystem and coastal zone management, and biotechnology as the Centre’s program thrusts under its 8th FYDP. The Centre’s research project on “Spatial Decision Support System for Food Security in West Java Province” was selected as one of the 105 top innovations in Indonesia by the Ministry of Research and Technology of Indonesia. On the other hand, the 25 new research projects comprised the first batch of research projects along the two new program thrusts of the Centre under its 9th FYDP, namely: Tropical Biology for Community Welfare and Tropical Biology for Environmental Integrity.

In training, SEAMEO BIOTROP implemented 13 training courses and seminars which benefitted 429 individuals from various government and private institutions from Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. During the period in review, the Centre continued to build up capacities through its regular regional courses in controlling and managing two important regional concerns on Mycotoxin Contamination in Food and Feedstuff,and Invasive Alien Species.

On regional visibility

SEAMEO BIOTROP entered into 25 memoranda of understanding and agreements during the period in review with 3 local governments, 8 research centers, 9 private companies and 5 academic institutions in Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Lao PDR and the Philippines.

The Centre launched eight of its 15 Special Initiatives under its 9th FYDP and, at the same time, completing three of them during the period. These initiatives include (1) Annual Media Promotions Day; (2) Regional Biodiversity Conservation Photo Competition; (3) In-country Training Program; (4) Southeast Asian Network for the Advancement of Research and Training in Tropical Biology; (5) Bi-Annual International Conference on Tropical Biology; (6) Youth Environmental Outreach Grants Program; (7) Joint Research Program; and (8) Technology and Knowledge One-Stop Shop.

The Centre’s Southeast Asian Network for the Advancement of Research and Training (SEANART) in Tropical Biology had already enlisted close to a hundred members since it was launched in February 2013 during the Centre’s 45th year anniversary celebration. This special initiative is envisioned to serve as a forum for exchanging information and experiences among researchers and trainers and a venue for them to establish collaboration towards the advancement of tropical biology in the region.

For the first time, the Centre conducted its first in-country training course on Tissue Culture Techniques for Plant Propagation and Nursery Management in collaboration with the Lao National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute. This special initiative under the Centre’s 9th FYDP generally aims to enable a greater number of SEAMEO nationals, other than from the host country, to have access to the Centre’s training courses at a more cost-effective manner.

SEAMEO BIOTROP operationalized its Annual Media Promotions Day program by collaborating with four newspaper companies, 3 television outfits, and the National Broadcasting of Indonesia to promote its activities and other special initiatives. The Centre also came up with a new Centre video profile and two educational videos entitled “Budidaya Talas Satoimo” and “Dunia Binatang”. These educational videos were produced by SEAMEO BIOTROP in cooperation with Trans7, a private television outfit in Indonesia.

Aside from its regular quarterly newsletter and bi-annual journal, the Centre produced 9 special publications and published 9 articles in peer-reviewed international journals featuring results of the Centre’s research projects.

Solid Resource Base

During the period in review, SEAMEO BIOTROP provided staff development opportunities to 82 (80 percent) of its administrative and technical personnel by attending training, conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia within Indonesia and abroad.

The Centre also completed the renovation of its training rooms, postharvest laboratory, community development Office, and reception office of the Convention Hall. To support research and laboratory operations, the Centre acquired 137 pieces of laboratory and office equipments and furnishings.

To enhance the quality of services and to assure good implementation of quality management system of ISO 9001:2008, the Centre updated its web-based transaction system, called BIOTROP e-services (http://e-services.biotrop.org) on requesting for ICT services, media design and layout, documentation services, new book purchasing, and monitoring for all requests, and added a new feature on monthly staff performance evaluation which became operational in June 2013.

The Centre’s Services Laboratory recorded a nine percent increase in the number of samples received for analyses and five percent increase in the number of customers.

Click here for download Annual Report FY 2013

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