WHO says researchers are hard done by? 快猫短视频s living round the Pacific rim may soon be able to sweep through airports unhampered by immigration officials just by flashing their very own 鈥渟cience visa鈥�. The visa is intended to allow scientists free movement between the 17 countries that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). These countries include the US, China, Japan and Canada.
With the visa, governments are 鈥渁nointing the field of science and technology as one that has to be entirely mobile鈥�, according to Peter Cook, Australia鈥檚 science minister. Cook brought up the idea earlier this month in Peking at the first gathering of APEC science and technology ministers, and it was endorsed in a final communiqu茅.
Whether science visas become a reality, however, depends on decisions by individual governments. 鈥淎t least the idea is very much on the agenda in the region,鈥� says Michael Pitman, Australia鈥檚 chief scientist.
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Cook says the idea for the visa originated at a meeting that he had with Australian scientists before the Peking conference. The scientists complained that joint research between APEC countries was sometimes jeopardised because it took so long to obtain visas. The idea appealed to the ministers because they believe that science and technology have such a big role to play in the development of the region, says Cook. The visa is one way to encourage more cooperation. The APEC, he says, is also considering a similar visa for business people.
Australia will also push for new visa agents to be established in all APEC countries to speed up the application process. 鈥淲e are trying to help each other lift the profile of science,鈥� says an official from Cook鈥檚 office.