Annual Meeting of the ICA-AP Committee on Cooperative Research

The 11th Annual Meeting of the ICA-AP Committee on Cooperative Research (CCR) was held on 24 November 2025 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI), Colombo, bringing together members from across the region for a focused review of the year’s activities and planning for the period ahead. Chaired by Prof. Yashavantha Dongre, the meeting centred on strengthening CCR’s research ecosystem, expanding partnerships, and outlining priorities for 2026.

The discussions opened with a detailed review of the activities completed in the 2025 calendar year, presented by Mr. Naveen Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Committee. Members reflected on the achievements of the Research Colloquium Series, the successful rollout of the YES Network engagements, and the strong research participation witnessed during the 19th Research Conference. The Committee acknowledged the steady growth in membership and the increased involvement of early-career scholars across the region.

A significant part of the meeting focused on preparations for the 20th ICA-AP Research Conference, planned for 2026. Members exchanged ideas for thematic focus areas, collaborative research outputs, and publication avenues. The Committee expressed interest in deepening institutional partnerships, enhancing visibility for cooperative research, and pursuing a more robust publication strategy—including the possibility of collaborating with an international academic publisher.

The Committee also reviewed new membership applications, which were formally ratified. The expansion of CCR’s network to institutions and scholars across multiple countries was welcomed as an encouraging sign of the region’s growing academic interest in cooperative research.

Following these substantive discussions, the meeting concluded with the election of Office Bearers for the 2026–2029 term. This marked a significant transition in leadership and continuity of vision. For the new term, the Committee elected:

• Dr. Sidsel Grimstad, Chairperson, Griffith University, Australia
• Prof. Harekrishna Misra, Vice Chairperson, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), India
• Dr. Patrick John Rico, Vice Chairperson, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
• Mr. Naveen Kumar Singh, Secretary, ICA-AP CCR

The Committee also placed on record its sincere appreciation to the outgoing leadership—Prof. Yashavantha Dongre (Chair, 2022–2025), Dr. Sidsel Grimstad (Vice Chair, 2022–2025), and Dr. Ahyoung Kim (Vice Chair, 2022–2025)—for their dedicated service and contributions. Their stewardship strengthened CCR’s academic outreach, revitalised regional research programming, and enhanced the participation of young researchers.

The newly elected office bearers will guide the Committee through the next phase of research collaboration, publication development, and capacity-building across the Asia-Pacific region, carrying forward the legacy established during the previous term.