AUN AEC Thematic Network (AUN-AEC)
 

Quick Facts
Establishment: 2015
Focus: Forum for ASEAN Economic Community building
Host: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Members: AUN30 
Chair/Convener: 

• Prof. Dr. Sufian Jusoh

Contact: [email protected], [email protected] 
Website: http://www.ukm.my/aeif/ 

The AEC Thematic Network has been established to serve as a platform to promote collaborative research between academic, industry, government agencies, and relevant organisations in support of policy making focusing on ASEAN Economic Community related issues. AUN-AEC has the following key objectives:

• To strengthen research collaboration between ASEAN universities and the industrial sector on issues pertinent to the AEC and the deepening of economic integration within ASEAN
• To facilitate the exchange of experts between ASEAN universities and the industrial sector that can facilitate a deeper understanding of the AEC in each ASEAN member country
• To deepen the engagement of ASEAN universities and industries with policy formulation and its implementation in each member country

AUN-AEC was established in 2015 in line with the initiative raised at the AUN Board of Trustees Meeting 2014 that the AUN enhance its engagements in ASEAN Economic Community building through university-industry collaborations. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in cooperation with AUN and the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (Ministry of Foreign Relations, Malaysia) organised the first ASEAN Economic Community Forum on 21 May 2015 at the Institute of Diplomacy & Foreign Relations (IDFR), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The outcome of the forum was the proposal to establish AUN-AEC Thematic Network in order to provide a platform for the academic sector to enhance research collaborations, engagements with the business community, and policy relevance to governments toward regional integration. 
The ASEAN Economic Integration Forum (AEIF) is the flagship program of the AUN AEC Thematic Network. The first AEIF was held on 21 May 2015 at Oxford University, United Kingdom; the second AEIF at the Institute of Diplomacy & Foreign Relations (IDFR), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2016; the third and fourth AEIF was held in 2017 and 2019 in collaboration with UNESCAP at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
The Secretariat is currently based at Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.