APEC’s Policy Partnership for Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) envisions that the APEC region will have achieved innovative economic growth by 2025. (PPSTI Strategic Plan 2016-2025)

The PPSTI’s mission is to “support the development of science and technology cooperation as well as effective science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations in APEC through collaboration between government, academia, private sector and other APEC fora.”

The partnership was formed in 2012, when APEC agreed to broaden the mandate of the Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) to include in its discussions innovation policy development and to intensify cooperation among governments, businesses and academia. The ISTWG was renamed to the PPSTI, and a new terms of reference outlining the PPSTI’s mandate and goals was endorsed.

Last page update: February 2018

2018 ASPIRE Prize

The APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (“ASPIRE”) is an annual award which recognizes young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies.

Each year, the chairing APEC member economy provides a theme for the ASPIRE Prize.  In 2018, Papua New Guinea selects "Smart Technologies for Healthy Societies” as the theme. This theme focuses on how scientists are capitalizing on smart technologies and digital platforms to provide better health care access and services across the APEC region. 

To read more about the award, the criteria for eligibility and the selection process, go to www.apec.org/aspire.