22 November 2017 - The ICT Virtual Organisation of ASEAN Institutes and NICT (ASEAN IVO) Forum 2017 was opened today by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Yang Mulia Awang Haji Azhar bin Haji Ahmad, at the Mutiara Ballroom, Radisson Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan.
The one-day forum is co-hosted by Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). UTB is also a member of the ASEAN IVO. The ASEAN IVO is a global alliance of ICT Research & Development (R&D) institutes, and universities in the ASEAN region and Japan, where institutions and universities discuss R&D topics, exchange ideas, and coordinate projects.
The opening ceremony of the forum was also attended by His Excellency Motohiko Kato, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Brunei Darussalam; Yang Mulia Professor Dr. Dayang Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman, Vice-Chancellor of UTB; Professor Dr Hideyuki Tokuda, President of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT); Mr Katsuhiko Kobayashi , Senior Vice-President of NES; Senior Officials from the Ministry of Communications and NICT; Principal Officers and staff of UTB, members and participants of the ASEAN IVO Forum.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Do’a Selamat, followed by welcoming remarks from Yang Mulia Professor Dr Zuruzi Abu Samah, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Research), UTB; Professor Dr Hideyuki Tokuida and His Excellency Motohiko Kato. Then followed by an honorary address, and the official opening by the Guest of Honour.
Before the ceremony ended, two talks on ‘R&D Introduction of NICT’ and ‘Introduction to NEC Solution Innovators, and Our Focusing Business Domain’ was presented by Dr Fumihiko Tomita, Vice-President of NICT, Japan, and Mr Hiroyuki Shigematsu, Deputy General Manager of NES, NEC Group, Japan, respectively.
The ASEAN IVO Forum 2017 features the current R&D Trends in ASEAN Countries by International speakers, and presentations from relevant policy makers in Brunei Darussalam. The goal of ASEAN IVO is to identify strategic ICT research areas in the ASEAN region, and to promote collaborative projects in them. This year, the forum focuses on: Smart-Agriculture/Aquaculture/Farming, Smart Tourism, Smart Environment Protection, and Information Reliability for Smart Society.
