Objectives and Aims
Founded in August 2005 by François Godement and a team of researchers and experts working on contemporary Asia, the Asia Centre’s objectives are:
- to conduct research on contemporary Asia, particularly in the areas that define and influence international relations strategically, politically, and in social and economic terms;
- to organise a framework for debate that brings together members of the Association, qualified French and foreign experts, as well as organizations promoting research, brainstorming and professional exchanges both in France and abroad;
- to enhance the value of the Centre’s research and exchanges (seminars, conferences, roundtables, working groups) by communicating findings in both internal and external publications.
Organisation
Governance of the Asia Centre is organised as follows:
- A decision-making organ, the General Assembly of the members and its Board;
- A managerial organ, the Executive Committee;
- An extensive consultative body, the Orientation Council;
- A small, permanent core team in charge of conducting and promoting research, debate forums and publications;
- An international network of experts (built via the involvement of an extensive group of Asia Centre partners and contributors.
Funding
All Asia Centre activities are carried out in total independence: legally speaking, Asia Centre is a not-for-profit association and was awarded “association française loi 1901” status. Its funding is granted - from the first euro onward -thanks to the reputation of its high-quality research (less than a quarter of the Association’s budget comes from subsidies, which are mainly public and non-recurrent). The private sector - French and European together - contributes approximately to one-quarter of the cost of our programs and the Centre’s work is carried out along lines that are, in turn, deemed valuable and meaningful to our public and private partners.
Thus, the Asia Centre has established its permanent programs (Observatories, focal areas of research and multi-annual programmes) keeping in mind the objective of offering its expertise to serve the specific needs of its various partners, both in France and in Asia.