The IIAS: a facilitating and service institute
THE IIAS AND INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION

One of the main aims of the IIAS is to encourage the pursuit of Asian Studies
in the Humanities and Social Sciences nationally and internationally. During
the past year IIAS representatives have paid visits to other institutes in the
field of Asian Studies in order to strengthen international cooperation. In
some cases the talks have resulted in Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), and
in other cases in Letters of Intent (LOI). The key elements of these forms of
cooperation are the exchange of post-doctoral scholars and joint research
projects and seminars. Furthermore, Asianists can profit from the many
possibilities for networking and contacts these forms of cooperation offer. 

By Paul van der Velde and Sabine Kuypers

Nordic Institute for Asian Studies (NIAS), Copenhagen.
The Nordic Institute for Asian Studies can be viewed as the focal organization
for Asian Studies, in which universities and institutes active in the field
of Asian Studies in the Nordic countries cooperate. The NIAS is thus an
example of a regional organization within Europe. Its director, Prof. T.
Svensson, is chairman of the Committee for Advanced Asian Studies of the
European Science Foundation. The NIAS publishes a newsletter, the NIAS Nytt,
in which the scientific activities of NIAS and its member organizations are
published.
The cooperation between the IIAS and the NIAS has been stipulated in a MOU.
Both parties have agreed upon on the exchange of information; the organization
of joint seminars; the exchange of research fellows; joint publication
activities; and other activities such as the setting up of joint research
positions and fund-raising. 
So far the cooperation has resulted in a joint seminar on Environmental
Movements in Asia to be held in Leiden, October 27-29. Furthermore, an
apartment in Leiden is available for scholars from the Nordic countries.

THE INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL STUDIES (IOS), MOSCOW.
The Institute  of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences is the
largest research centre in the Soviet Union for the study of the history,
politics, economics, culture, literatures and languages of Asian countries,
North Africa, Australia and Oceania. The Institute has its headquarters in
Moscow and a branch in St. Petersburg. It is one of the major research centres
of the Academy of Sciences with over 800 staff members in Moscow and about 200
in St. Petersburg. More than 500 of them hold higher academic degrees. The
Institute has an umbrella function and represents Oriental Studies in the
Russian Federation and in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Institute has the following departments:
1) The Department of General Theoretical Problems of the Socio-Political
Development of  the Countries of Asia and Northern Africa. 2) The Department
of Research on International Relations of the Countries of Asia and Northern
Africa. 3) The Department of Economic Problems of the Countries of Asia and
North Africa. 4) The Centre of Indian and South Asian Studies. 5) The
Department of the Socialist Countries of Asia. 6) The Centre of Arab Countries
Studies. 7) The Department of the Countries of the Middle East. 8) The
Department of the Countries of Southeast Asia. 9)The Department of China. 10)
The Centre of Japanese Studies. 11) The Department of Israeli Studies. 12) The
Department of South Pacific Studies. 13) The Department of the Ancient East.
14) The Department of the Literatures of the Peoples of Asia. 15) The
Department of Asian Languages. 16) The Department of International Relations.
17) The Department of Scientific Information.
A MOU has been signed between the IIAS and the IOS which stipulates: both
parties will provide facilities for each other's scholars and assist in
obtaining visas and research permits; exchange of scholars; the organization
of joint seminars; the exchange of information on research and publication
activities for each other's Newsletters. Two seminars with the theme 'Islam
in Central Asia' are in the planning stage. 

ECOLE FRAN€AISE D'EXTRțME-ORIENT (EFEO), PARIS.
The EFEO, founded in 1898, is primarily a centre for research on the
civilizations of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. It comprises some
thirty Asianists representing disciplines in the Humanities and Social
Sciences. The EFEO remains attached to its traditional emphasis on the study
of primary sources- archaeological written, and oral- and requires a knowledge
of the relevant written and spoken languages from its members. The EFEO runs
centres in Jakarta, Kyoto, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Poona, and Phnom
Penh.
The IIAS and the EFEO intend to provide facilities for each other's senior
scholars; to enable each other to participate in research in Asia by providing
facilities and by the exchange of scholars (EFEO via IIAS in the People's
Republic of China, Japan, India, Indonesia and IIAS via EFEO in South and
Southeast Asia); to stimulate research in and on Central Asia; exchange of
research fellows; and joint research projects. The IIAS will provide office
space for an EFEO representative in Leiden. In November a MOU will be signed
by both parties.

LEMBAGA ILMU PENGETAHUAN INDONESIA (LIPI), JAKARTA.
The Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) is a non-departmental state
research institution. The chairman has the same rank as a junior minister and
reports directly to the President. LIPI comprises many Institutes in the field
of the Natural Sciences and Technology as well as in the Social Sciences and
the Humanities.
A MOU has been signed between the LIPI and the IIAS which stipulates:
participation in an international exchange network; organization of joint
international seminars and conferences on mutually agreed themes, of which the
expenses will be shared equally by both parties; the exchange of scholars at
post-doctoral level and the provision of facilities for each other's scholars;
assistance in the obtaining of research permits and visas; joint publication
activities. Apart from what has been agreed formally, the LIPI and the IIAS
will look into the possibilities for producing a joint directory for Asian
Studies in Indonesia and the LIPI will provide information on the research of
foreigners in Indonesia working under supervision of the LIPI.

RESEARCH SCHOOL OF PACIFIC AND ASIAN STUDIES (RSPAS), AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY, CANBERRA.
This institute which was formerly known as the Research School of Pacific
Studies is devoted entirely to research and to post-graduate training, mostly
at PhD and Postdoctorate level. The School comprises the following main
divisions: 1) Economics 2) Pacific and Asian History 3) Politics and
International Relations 4) Society and Environment.
A MOU, in cooperation with the EAST-WEST Center in Hawaii, is in preparation
which stipulates the exchange of postdoctoral fellows and the mutual provision
of academic and administrative facilities.

INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE SUR LE SUD-EST ASIATIQUE (IRSEA), AIX-EN-PROVENCE.
The Research Institute for Southeast Asia is a research unit that is part of
the National Centre of Scientific Research and also of the University of
Provence. It was inaugurated on May 3, 1993. Located in Aix-en-Provence, the
Institute benefits from the documentary resources of the Centre of Overseas
Archives and also from a rich academic environment created by the amalgamation
of three universities. The IRSEA has set itself a triple task: research,
teaching, and documentation. Within the IRSEA there are several teams or
programmes carrying out comparative research on Southeast Asia, based on
ethnology, sociology and history. Other disciplines have been introduced in
order to enrich this research, including: linguistics, geography, political
economy, architecture, and archaeology. In cooperation with the University of
Provence, the Institute organizes bachelor's, master's and doctoral courses
for students of sociology, ethnology, and history. In addition, in the
interest of promoting knowledge of Southeast Asia, the Institute offers
introductory courses on the languages and civilizations of the area. Finally
the IRSEA has access to rich documentary resources which are of interest not
only to those involved in research but to all those concerned with this part
of the world.
The IIAS and the IRSEA have agreed to cooperate in the organization of joint
international workshops on Indonesia and Vietnam.

RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF ASIA, VIENNA.
The Institut fr Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens der ™sterreichischen
Akademie der Wissenschaften in Vienna was founded on November 29, 1991, by a
resolution of the Plenary Session of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The
Institute's main task consists of research work in the field of the history
of civilization and thought in Asia. Research is carried out in  four
departments: 1) South Asia 2) Studies in Buddhism 3) East Asia 4) Religion and
Inter-religious Communication. The research, although primarily the fruit of
individual effort, is also pursued in the sphere of inter and
multidisciplinary cooperation.
A MOU has been signed between the IIAS and the Institut fr Kultur- und
Geistesgeschichte Asiens der ™sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in
which is stipulated: exchange of scholars; joint research projects; provision
office space for each other's scholars.

THE ITALIAN INSTITUTE FOR THE MIDDLE AND FAR EAST (ISMEO), ROME
The primary aim of the IsMEO, founded in 1933, is to foster  relations between
Italy and the countries of Asia, and to study the great civilizations of that
continent. IsMEO is a public body under the supervision of the Italian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, run jointly with the Ministry of Universities and
Scientific and Technological Research and the Ministry of the Cultural and
Environmental Heritage. The Institute has 350 members, of whom the majority
are either scholars in Oriental Studies or diplomats.
The IIAS is working on a proposal for mutual cooperation which will be ready
in the spring of 1995.

SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES (SOAS), LONDON.
The School of Oriental and African Studies is part of the University of London
and was formed in 1916 as a school of Oriental Studies. It is one of the major
centres of Asian and African Studies. There are 200 scholars on its academic
staff. The supervision of most research work for higher degrees and other
postgraduate programmes, as well as the administration of students, is carried
out on a departmental basis. The departments are:
1) The Languages and Cultures of Africa, Anthropology and Sociology, Art and
Archaeology, and Economics. 2) The Languages and Cultures of the Far East,
Geography, History, Law, and Linguistics. 3) The Languages and Cultures of the
Near and Middle East and Political Studies. 4) The Study of Religions. 5) The
Languages and Cultures of South Asia. 6) The Languages and Cultures of
Southeast Asia and the Islands.
In addition to these departments, there are two Centres which co-ordinate
teaching and research on an interdisciplinary basis: 1) Centre for Development
Studies. 2) Centre of Music Studies.
There are also the regional centres which co-ordinate teaching and research
on an interdisciplinary basis: 1) Centre of African Studies. 2) Centre of
Chinese Studies. 3) Centre of Korean Studies. 4) Centre of Near and Middle
Eastern Studies. 5) Centre of South Asian Studies. 6) Centre of South east
Asian Studies. 7) Contemporary China Institute. 8) Japan Research Centre.
The SOAS and the IIAS intend: studying the possibilities for a MOU for future
cooperation which will organize the exchange of research fellows; joint
research on Central Asia and Myanmar; exchange of information to be included
in a future European Database for Asian Studies; joint fund-raising.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES AND CULTURES (INALCO), PARIS.
The Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales was founded in
1795. The Institute covers a wide geographical area and offers tuition in more
than 75 languages many of which are Asian languages. The INALCO has over 9000
students from France and abroad. Furthermore, it has research centres some of
which are associated with the CNRS, the National Centre of Scientific Research
or the French Ministry of Education and Culture. Its fields of research
include: Chinese Studies; Japanese Studies; Southeast Asian Studies; research
on the Eastern Indian Ocean, Austronesian languages, research on orality etc.
Cooperation will consist of mutual assistance in finding access to respective
academic worlds and libraries; exchange of information on behalf of respective
newsletters. The INALCO will also be of assistance to an IIAS junior
researcher in Paris who has been given the task of making an inventory of Asia
specialists in France.

INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES (ISEAS), SINGAPORE.
The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies was established as an independent
regional research organization in 1968, soon after Singapore became
independent in 1965.
The Institute's interests are primarily focused on modern Southeast Asia,
particularly on the problems of stability and security, economic development,
and on political and social change. As a research institute, the ISEAS
annually attracts an average of 137 core and short-term specialists from all
over the world.
The first outcome of the cooperation between the IIAS and the ISEAS is that
the ISEAS newspaper 'Trends' is included in this issue of the IIAS Newsletter.
In 'Trends' researchers comment on new developments in Southeast Asia.
Furthermore, it is the intention of both parties to: exchange scholars and
organize joint seminars.

In the future IIAS representatives will pay visits to their partners in
institutes in Portugal, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and the
other Slavic countries in a bid to increase the mutual cooperation between
institutes working in the field of Asian Studies, thereby fulfilling the
principal goal of the IIAS.