The 1993 APEC Leaders’ Education Initiative (ALEI) established, among other things, APEC Study Centres in the universities and research institutes of member economies with a view towards promoting APEC-related studies and the exchange of scholars and students.
The Singapore APEC Study Centre was subsequently established at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in 1994 by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. It is part of the Institute’s Regional Economic Studies Programme. The Centre is headed by the Director of ISEAS and assisted by a Centre Coordinator.
The Centre undertakes research, disseminates information, facilitates discussions on APEC-related issues, and promotes linkages with other APEC Study Centres. The Centre also liaises with the APEC Secretariat, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and other organizations working on APEC. The Centre analyses developments in the APEC process and its main areas of interest include: international economics; production networks; trade arrangements; connectivity; regionalism; and Southeast Asian economies. Besides regular publications, the Centre manages seminars and symposia on issues related to APEC.
The Centre is part of a consortium of around a hundred APEC Study Centres based in academic and research institutions in the 21 member economies of APEC. The consortium’s major activity is an annual conference held in the APEC host economy for the year. The first APEC Study Centre Consortium (ASCC) Conference was held in Manila in 1996. In July 2009, the Singapore APEC Study Centre hosted the ASCC Conference as part of APEC Singapore 2009.