Executive Summary

"We used to wait weeks for access to essential research articles. Today, with just a click, we connect with scientists across Asia and Europe in real time."

— Project Beneficiary, Kathmandu University, Nepal

Asian Countries

17,000+

Institutions

70M+

End Users

928

Gbps Capacity

Asia@Connect is a 9-year EU co-funded programme (2016-2025) that connected 24 Asian countries to Europe's research and education networks. It paired a high-capacity backbone with targeted capacity-building and 95 innovation sub-grants, reaching 17,000+ institutions and 70+ million end users. During the programme, regional backbone capacity rose from 107 Gbps to 928 Gbps, making cross-border collaboration routine rather than rare. The programme's core idea was simple and powerful: infrastructure only delivers value when people have the skills and services to use it. Asia@Connect therefore invested in all three, creating lasting change in how Asia learns, researches, and solves public challenges together.

Vision and Objectives

The programme's vision was to build an inclusive, digitally capable research and education community across Asia. That meant closing persistent gaps in connectivity, skills, and access to digital services, especially for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Three objectives guided the work:

1. Operate a world-class transcontinental network for research and education that reliably links Asia with Europe.
2. Strengthen human and institutional capacity, with priority support to developing NRENs that need skills, tools, and operating practices to thrive.
3. Support applications and services with public benefit, aligned with national needs and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

These objectives were pursued through regional cooperation, shared standards, and a community-driven model that encouraged local leadership and South-South collaboration.