The 14th Asia-Pacific Research Conference was held recently at University of Newcastle Australia. More than 100 researchers from various countries of Asia-Pacific Region were present on the occasion. The conference was preceded by holding of Young Scholars’ Conference in which more than 30 young researchers from Asia-Pacific Region discussed various subjects like methodology of cooperative research, ways of internet research, areas to be researched, etc in consultation with senior researchers. It was a three day event, informs a press release.
Opening the conference Ms. Melina, Morrison, CEO of Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals elaborating on the importance of research for cooperatives in Asia-Pacific Region highlighted the research initiatives in BCCM, and pin-pointed a recent research project in BCCM for measuring the social value of the members, a research area which has immense research significance for the region. She also laid emphasis on the need for mainstreaming cooperative study in the mainstream business education of the countries, and in this respect, she expressed her appreciation for Newcastle Business School organizing this conference.
One of the distinguished speakers of the panel- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, “Cooperatives Supporting the Regional Economy”, T.P. Sethumadhavan, Director, ULCCS highlighted the various innovative initiatives and achievements of his organization due to which this organization has earned a great success over the years.
The conference had several research sessions dealing with the themes of sustainability, resilience, legal and institutional parameters, coop data and measurement for improved coop performance, empowerment of women, youth coop innovation platform cooperatives, coop case studies, etc.
Delivering his key note address, Prof Greg Patmore presented a brief outline of proposed historical project of Australian Cooperatives, which has significance for initiating similar projects in other countries of Asia Pacific Region. He said it is important to study historically how the societies have succeeded, and also how the societies have failed in some cases?
Taking part in a panel discussion, Professor Anil Karanjkar, Dean VAMNICOM presented a Case Study of AMUL, and the challenges being faced by the dairy cooperatives in India.
The Dr Mauritz Award was given to two young researchers on the occasion. The First Prize went to Ms Heira Hardayanti of Malaysia for her paper on workers coops in Malaysia, and the second prize went to Jihyun Jeong for her paper on Fair Trade in Korea. There were 12 delegates from India and 4 of them were sponsored by NCUI.
The, ICA-AP Research Committee decided that the 15th ICA AP Research Conference would be held on 24-26 November 2020 and organized by Agriculture Cooperative Staff Training Institute, Thiruvananthapuram an Autonomous Institute under the Government of Kerala.
During the conference, a seven-member Indian delegation visited office of BCCM in Sydney, where they interacted with Anthony Taylor, Policy Officer, BCCM. Taylor explained in detail about the activities/programs of BCCM, and said BCCM is actively involved in advocacy and communication work of its member institutions, and recently the Government has provided a huge amount of grants to BCCM for promoting agriculture cooperatives in Australia. The members of Indian delegation showed interest in knowing about the governance, training, and research activities of BCCM.
Sanjay Verma, Dy. Director, NCUI presented a paper on “Innovative Ways to Strengthen Cooperatives in India through Cooperation Among Cooperatives” at the Research Conference.
