The delegation was led by Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong, the Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office.

As well as attracting foreign investors, the BEDB’s mission is to strengthen the local economy, work which includes a focus on research and innovation. The visit followed on from discussions between Deltares and the BEDB during the Dutch Queen’s state visit to Brunei last January.

Deltares is already active in Brunei through NUSDeltares, the regional alliance between Deltares and the National University of Singapore. It emerged from the meetings that the NUSDeltares alliance approach is also interesting for Brunei. Potential partners have been identified: the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and research institutes of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Further meetings have been arranged to define the areas of cooperation more closely. The following possibilities are being examined: management of flash floods risks, integrated watershed management for enhanced rice production, resilience of tropical ecosystems in relation to aquaculture, and port development.