DDE AND CCOP DISCUSS POTENTIAL COLLABORATION DURING 2025-2030
CCOP is one of the Founding Members of DDE. It is the only Inter-governmental organization, serving 16 Member countries (ASEAN 10 (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam) and China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste). DDE – CCOP collaboration could target increasing DDE engagement and presence in CCOP Member Countries. All country representatives of CCOP Members are the President/Director General from the national geological surveys.
In the CCOP Strategic Plan for 2021-2025, there are specific references to DDE as a potential partner:
(a) Strategic aim II – Adapting Digital transformation in geoscience solutions, Objective 2: Digitally transform geoscience data management
(b) Strategic aim III – Promotion of geoscience education, capacity building and outreach, Objective 2: Digitally transform geoscience data management
During 2021-2025, CCOP has attended most DDE GC meetings and contributed to discussions. CCOP has made presentations of its work in some of the DDE sponsored online and in-person events. There were discussions linking the creation of a CCOP International Centre of Excellence (ICE; Strategic Aim I, objective 3) to the establishment of a DDE RCE in one of the CCOP Member countries. At the IPTC (International Petroleum Technology Conference) held in Bangkok, Thailand, in February-March 2023, CCOP, DDE and AAPG hosted an “ask the Expert” session on CCS and full-day CCS training course.
Director Mr. Ma Yongzheng, and Dr. Songyang Wu, Regional Expert of the CCOP Technical Secretariat visited the DDE Secretariat on 26 May 2025 and had broad-ranging discussions with DDE Secretariat staff on potential collaboration for the period 2026-2030 for which CCOP is currently in the process of preparing a Strategic Plan. CCOP planning overlaps with ongoing efforts of DDE to prepare a Strategic Plan for the period 2025-2028. Hence, possible themes and activities that could be mutually beneficial were explored during discussions.
Members of CCOP and DDE Secretariat who attended the discussions on 26 May 2025 at the DDE Secretariat in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
Dr. Songyang Wu made a presentation (see: link to the presentation) on CCOP including the next steps in the preparation of the CCOP Strategic Plan for 2026-2030 in consultation with CCOP Member Countries.
Possible areas of collaboration over the next few years may include:
· Introducing the DDE Platform and GeoGPT services to students and early career earth scientists among CCOP Member States; encourage them to use it for their research, teaching and other initiatives.
· Identify a research theme of mutual interest to countries in the region that have global significance to design, develop, fund and implement projects in the ASEAN sub-region.
· Joint hosting of conferences and/or training events on themes of mutual interest
· Early Career Scientists and student secondments from CCOP Member (and partner) countries to DDE RCEs in different regions of the world (currently China, US, France and DRC); CCOP Member countries seconding staff to work in the DDE Secretariat on Science Operations and International Relations aspects DDE work.
CCOP will have its final consultations with its Member States and Advisory Committee to decide on the final version of the Strategic Plan in September 2025. The Plan will be presented for adoption by the 85th CCOP Steering Committee Meeting at its forthcoming 61st Annual Session in Vientiane, Laos, during the first week of November 2025.
The Chair of the DDE Executive Committee (EC), Prof. Qiuming Cheng has agreed and requested the DDE Secretariat to explore the possibility of attending the November CCOP Annual Session and hosting technical sessions, a booth and other activities. The Secretariat will also share the DDE Strategic Plan for 2025-2028 with Director Ma Yongzheng and Dr. Songyang Wu as soon as it is approved in late June 2025 so that it could be shared with CCOP Member Countries and Advisory Group Members.