
Report: The Second Governing Council Meeting of the ASEAN Large Nuclear and Synchrotron Facilities Network (LNSN)
Date: 28 February 2023, via an online platform
Introduction
The 2nd Governing Council Meeting of the ASEAN Large Nuclear and Synchrotron Facilities Network (LNSN) was organized on 28 February 2023 and chaired by Assoc. Prof. Thawatchai Onjun, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT).
Agenda item 1: Opening remarks
The 2nd Governing Council Meeting of the ASEAN Large Nuclear and Synchrotron Facilities Network (LNSN) was officially opened by Assoc. Prof. Thawatchai Onjun, Ph.D., the Executive Director of TINT. In his opening remarks, he reaffirmed the continuity of the network after the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the importance of strengthening partnerships with dialogue partners to achieve ASEAN LNSN’s mission, he highlighted the role of ASEAN LNSN as a regional platform to promote stronger regional and international collaboration in the future.
Agenda item 2: Introduction of participants
For the convenience of all ASEAN LNSN members, the 2nd Governing Council Meeting of the ASEAN LNSN was held on 28 February 2023 via an online platform. The Meeting was attended by representatives from 8 ASEAN Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Agenda item 3: Adoption of the agenda
The Meeting adopted the Agenda without revision.
Agenda item 4: Summary of the previous meeting
The Meeting noted a brief overview of the ASEAN LNSN presented by the Secretariat and information on the summary of the 1st Governing Council Meeting of ASEAN LNSN, which was held on 22nd March 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, back-to-back with the ASEAN NEXT 2019. The Meeting had a discussion on various areas and came up with the following agreements:
(i) Information on facilities to be put on the ASEAN LNSN website (aseanlnsn.com). (ii) A bulletin to be produced to serve as a tool for communications and public relations (not implemented). (iii) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regional project to be a favorable option for collaborative projects. (iv) Potential topics for collaboration:
- Research: environment, food, and energy.
- Technical: reactor fuel elements, design, and construction of the accelerator. (v) Human resources development activities to be carried out.
Regarding the follow-up, the ASEAN LNSN members were requested to provide the updated information of their facilities and contact persons to be presented on the ASEAN LNSN website. Such information from each country shall be submitted to the Secretariat.
Agenda item 5: Report of the past activities (Item for acknowledgment)
5.1 Project on “Large Nuclear and Synchrotron Facility Sharing Initiative” funded by ASEAN Science, Technology, and Innovation Fund (ASTIF)
The Meeting noted a briefing from the Secretariat on the Project on “Large Nuclear and Synchrotron Facility Sharing Initiative,” which was sponsored by ASTIF. The project was implemented from 2019 – 2020 and consisted of 2 main capacity-building activities as follows:
(i) The Neutron Application Workshop was held during 16 – 17 December 2019 at TINT, Bangkok, Thailand. The Workshop was attended by 30 participants from 7 ASEAN members and 1 speaker from the Republic of Korea (ROK). The lectures included an overview of neutron facilities in ASEAN and ROK, NAA and k0 Dalat Software, and neutron imaging and image analysis.
(ii) A student internship program, taking place from March to June 2020 at the Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI), Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, was offered to 2 student interns from the Polytechnic Institute of Nuclear Technology, National Nuclear Energy Agency, Indonesia. The course included corrosion studies using synchrotron and related techniques and dynamic modeling and control design of robot arms.
5.2 Symposium on the Application of Radiation Techniques for Cultural Heritage Research
The Meeting took note of a briefing from the Secretariat on the Symposium on the Application of Radiation Techniques for Cultural Heritage Research, which was held from 22 to 23 March 2022 via an online platform. The event was attended by 181 participants from 38 countries. 9 experts in the field of archaeology and the applications of nuclear and radiation techniques in archaeological and cultural heritage research were invited as guest speakers. The Symposium was a platform for sharing expertise and experiences in the characterization and preservation of cultural heritage using nuclear and radiation techniques. There was also a survey exploring research topics of interest. The survey result included cultural heritage analysis, preservation, conservation, and restoration, ceramics, pottery, and glass beads.
Agenda item 6: Item for approval
6.1 Current list of Governing Council members to be approved by ASEAN Sub-Committee on S&T Infrastructure and Resources Development (SCIRD)
The Meeting noted a current list of Governing Council members, which is to be submitted to SCIRD for their approval for the next SCIRD meeting. The Secretariat will reconfirm with the representative from Myanmar and Cambodia via email at a later stage. The Secretariat will then send the approved list to the ASEAN Secretariat to be tabled in the SCIRD meeting accordingly.
Agenda item 7: Items for consideration
7.1 Discussion on the tentative program of the Workshop on Accelerator Applications in Research
The Meeting noted a briefing from the Secretariat on the tentative schedule of the Workshop on Accelerator Applications in Research, to be held under the framework of ASEAN LNSN, from 21 to 24 August 2023 in Bangkok, Nakhon Nayok, and Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The workshop will serve as a platform for exchanging knowledge on accelerator technology and applications. The target group for the Workshop was postdocs, young researchers, and mid-career researchers.
The Meeting noted that the Workshop will be financially supported by the Government of Thailand. There will be both online and on-site participants. The potential program proposed by the Secretariat included lectures on applications of nuclear and radiation in various fields, radiopharmaceuticals production, spallation neutron source and applications, accelerator development program in ASEAN, and the panel discussion on lessons learned from facility sharing, as well as technical visits at TINT and SLRI.
Dr. Muhammad Rawi Bin Mohamed Zin, the representative from Malaysia, commented that it would be beneficial for all participants to keep the lecture topics of day 2 more specific and move the panel discussion to Day 1.
The Meeting agreed to establish the Working Group on the preparation of the Workshop organization. The Working Group aims to refine the program and identify the guest speakers. The Secretariat will modify the Workshop program following comments and feedback received and will circulate the revised version of the Workshop program to the Governing Council members via emails by 17 March 2023. The formation of the Working Group can then be made after considering the revised program.
7.2 Discussion on the potential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regional project proposal under the framework of ASEAN-IAEA Practical Arrangements
The Meeting took note of a briefing from the Secretariat on the potential project proposal of the ASEAN LNSN under the framework of ASEAN-IAEA Practical Arrangements on Cooperation on the Areas of Nuclear Science and Technology and Applications, Nuclear Safety, Security, and Safeguards, which was signed in 2019 at the IAEA Headquarters. The Meeting also noted that the timeline for the 2026 – 2027 IAEA Technical Cooperation cycle would start in 2024, and the submission of the Regional Programme Note (RPN) was on 31st May 2024.
Dr. Muhammad Rawi Bin Mohamed Zin, the representative from Malaysia, commented that activities may include education and training for reactor utilization and experiments. He expressed that Malaysia is willing to be a Lead Country Coordinator. The Meeting thanked Dr. Muhammad Rawi Bin Mohamed Zin for his willingness and contribution to draft the brief concept of education and training on the research reactor project to be circulated among ASEAN LNSN for further comments.
The Chairman proposed that Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology may be of benefit to ASEAN countries. Separately, he suggested that the Workshop, which is to be held in August 2023, can be a platform for further discussion of the project proposal. In the meantime, all proposals and interests from ASEAN LNSN members are welcomed. The Meeting agreed to establish the Working Group on drafting the project proposal to be submitted to the IAEA. The composition and details will be further discussed.
Agenda item 8: Nomination and election of Governing Council Chair and Vice-Chair (by countries)
The Meeting agreed that Thailand will resume their chairmanship role for the Governing Council of ASEAN LNSN. The Meeting also welcomed Indonesia as a Vice-Chair country. The Meeting acknowledged that the term for Chair and Vice-Chair is 3 years.
The Meeting noted that the ASEAN LNSN Secretariat will be transitioned based on Chair and Vice-Chair’s countries. As for the next term, the Secretariat team consists of Thailand and Indonesia.
Agenda item 9: Arrangement of the 3rd Governing Council Meeting of ASEAN LNSN
The Meeting noted that the 3rd Governing Council Meeting of ASEAN LNSN will be hosted by Thailand tentatively in February – March 2024. The meeting pattern will be decided at a later stage.
Agenda item 10: Adoption of the report and closure
The Meeting adopted the report. The Chairman thanked all participants for their active participation and valuable contributions and declared the meeting adjourned.


