The SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award was established in 1990 with the support of the Government of Canada as a way of recognizing exemplary research conducted by Southeast Asian nationals in the region. The yearly award aims to encourage young scholars to conduct researches on a relevant theme on social development in Southeast Asia and to facilitate continued interaction and knowledge-sharing among Southeast Asian and Canadian researchers.

The theme for 2015 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award is Strengthening Food Security in Southeast Asia: a Route to Prosperity and Social Harmony.

In the last few decades, the Southeast Asian countries have promoted equity by successfully decreasing poverty while increasingly investment in human development especially in areas of education and health care. However, the incidence of hunger, malnutrition, and micronutrient deficiency still exists in the region, which could be attributed to a variety of food security-related issue. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2015 publication entitled Regional Overview of Food Insecurities: Asia and the Pacific reveals that although the Asia-Pacific region has decreased a large number of undernourished people in the world, standing at 236 million, there are still 490 million people who are in chronic hunger. The region’s growing population with changing and varied food consumption patterns, dwindling areas for agricultural production, urbanisation, environmental degradation and other climate-related constraints, globalisation, market integration, and increases in food prices are but some factors that make food security a challenging goal to achieve.

In line with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)‘s Food Security Strategy in developing countries, the 2015 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award theme aims to draw attention to the role of education, science and culture in promoting food security in Southeast Asian countries.

This year’s SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award recognizes research studies that investigate how education, science and culture interplay closely with food security. The Award distinguishes studies that explore concepts, traditional or innovative models and best practices on academic and research in promoting food security in Southeast Asia. Likewise, research studies may include investigations or documented cases on policies and practical strategies on food security.

Research studies may cover one or more of the following thematic strands:

Food availability
Food availability refers to physical food available at a particular location in sufficient levels. Thus, this thematic strand focuses on studies on the development of sustainable food production and productivity from small (e.g. backyard and/or gardening) to large (e.g. commercial farms and plantations) scales, including postharvest storage and processing systems to prolong the availability of food. However, the development must not involve any damage to community and environment.

Food accessibility
This thematic strand pertains to research studies that investigate food delivery infrastructure and logistics along with strategies to enhance the capacity of underprivileged households or individuals to acquire an appropriate quantity of quality foods. It can include studies on how food is accessible to the poor and other remote areas where there is inadequate local production or supplied from elsewhere at a high cost.

Quality Nutritious Food
This thematic strand investigates models that are involved with provision and development of high-quality nutritious food. It can expand to programmes which promote the production, preparation, as well as consumption of healthy and nutritious food.

Stability of Food Security
This thematic strand covers food value chain’s sustainable management during both normal and disastrous situations. It can also involve the reduction in food loss and food waste during harvesting, post-harvesting, and consumption periods.

1. A national of a SEAMEO Member Country*;
2. Holder of a master’s or doctorate degree;
3. Not more than 55 years of age at the time of application;
4. Not currently associated with or employed by any of the SEAMEO Centres/Network or SEAMEO Secretariat;
5. For studies/projects conducted by a team of researchers, only one author will be eligible for nomination. The submission should include a written note from the co-author(s) waiving any claim to the award, in case the research is selected; and a statement indicating the nominee’s level of responsibility (in percentage) for the research work; and
6. Physically fit to travel; certification by a competent physician may be requested before travelling.

*SEAMEO Member Countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

1. The research must be a completed research study/project conducted in Southeast Asia (covering one country or more in the Southeast Asia region) relating to the identified theme for the year.
2. The research must have been completed within the past three years.
3. All submissions, including photo captions and other materials, must be in English.
4. All research entries conducted for graduate/post-graduate theses or doctoral dissertations will not be accepted.
5. Research entries from previous winners of SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award will not be accepted.
6. A research entry should comprise:
   

   20-page summary of the research paper; one-page abstract of the research paper; and Complete research paper.

7. Research entry should have the following essential sections:
   

   Introduction (including rationale, statement of problem, research objectives); Methodology; Results and Discussions; Conclusions and Recommendations; References; and Appendices.

8. Non-winning research entries may be selected to be featured in SEAMEO’s Southeast Asian Journal of Education, subject to permission/approval from the author.

This year the selection will be comprised of two stages:

1. Peer review
   Officials of SEAMEO will be convened to review the submitted entries. Only shortlisted papers that pass this primary process will be submitted to experts’ review. Only qualified papers will proceed to the next stage.
2. Selection
   A Selection Committee composed of representatives from relevant international organizations, experts in the field covered by the theme who shall conduct the final review of the qualified paper. Selection will be based on the quality of the research report, its relevance to the theme and to improving education in Southeast Asia and its potential for promoting better understanding between Canada and Southeast Asia.

1. The winner of the SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award will be awarded a Plaque of Recognition at the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
2. The SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award winner will receive a travel fellowship to Canada or to any two (2) of the SEAMEO Member Countries to disseminate the results of winning research to relevant education/research institutions.

The fellowship includes 8-day all expense paid travel to Canada/Southeast Asian countries (inclusive of travel time). The fellowship will include assistance by the SEAMEO Secretariat in travel and meeting arrangements. The fellowship visit shall be done within twelve months from the date of the winner announcement.

Candidates are expected to submit one set of hard copy and one set of electronic file of the following:

1. Completed application form (Download the form here)
2. A 20-page summary of the research paper (including rationale statement of the problem, objectives, methodology, results and discussions, conclusions and recommendations; and references/appendices);
3. A one-page abstract of the research paper; and
4. Complete research paper.

Hard copy and electronic submissions must reach the SEAMEO Secretariat on or before 15 November 2015.

The research submissions should be clearly marked and addressed to:

2015 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award
SEAMEO Secretariat
Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building
920 Sukhumvit Road
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2391-0144
Fax: +66 (0) 2381-2587
E-mail: secretariat@seameo.org