GOALS AND ACTIVITIES OF MEDASIA/EURASIANE NETWORK

In 2006, five organizations representing the Southern European countries created the MedAsia Network by signing a Declaration of Intent. We decided to establish a platform from which we could more efficiently share, increase and spread knowledge and awareness of Asia and the Pacific (see the Map of the region) in the Southern European Region.

The final objective of this first network is to establish the pan-European association, Eurasiane (The EURope - ASIA NEtwork of research and expertise). This association, made up of public and private institutions which focus on Asia and the Pacific will be able to collectively disclose:
- their human and material resources
- their main areas of study and research
- their future projects
- the strong and weaker areas of research

In order to :

- produce specific knowledge of areas of expertise
- avoid redundancy
- establish possibilities for cooperation and scientific research
- apply for funding from the European Commission for collective projects
- allow for the flow of information between institutions to facilitate research, student and faculty mobility and improve the expertise on Asia and the Pacific.

The MedAsia partners only represent the core members of the larger Eurasiane network.
The first MedAsia Conference on Archives and Documentation was held in Barcelona in September 2006. The Conference on Transmission of scientific knowledge between Asia and the Mediterranean took place in Barcelona in November 2007.

In 2008, a new shared online database of specialists on Asia and the Pacific was created. The website Eurasiane, developped by the MedAsia Network for the community of specialists on Asia and the Pacific, was launched in September 2009.
The theme of the next conference is "the Asian Presence in South Europe" and will be held in 2010.