The APAN58 was inaugurated by the Honorable Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani. Speaking to the occasion, the chairman senate said that Pakistan is committed to bringing technological advancement while being mindful of sustainable and green practices for a prosperous future. The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman APAN Mr. Shinji Shimojo, Member (IT) HEC Dr. Jamil Ahmad, Vice Chancellors, researchers and members from the industry.
During the five days, multiple sessions including IAM Sessions, IPv6 and 5G working group sessions, medical working group sessions, agriculture working group sessions, software defined networking workshop by Asi@Connect/ APNIC, e-culture working group sessions, security workshop, Asia Pacific Open and Sharing Data working group sessions, network engineering sessions, GenAI for NREN Empowerment workshop, Huawei Technology sessions, disaster mitigation sessions, AI driven networks, Asia pacific research platform, NREN marketing and communications took place. Along with APAN meeting, the 2nd edition of APAN conference titled “AI and HPC: Better Together” was also part of APAN58, wherein, 16 papers were accepted and presented during the conference break out sessions.
The APAN 58 had eight keynote speakers during opening, closing and conference opening ceremonies. The speakers include, Dr. Syed Ismail Shah (Head of Connectivity, Asia Pacific META), Dr. Madhusanka Liyanage (Associate Professor, University College Dublin Ireland), Alex Soares De Moura (GNA-G Leadership Team & KAUST, Saudi Arabia), Erik Kikkenborg (Chief Collaboration Officer, NORDUNET, Denmark), Shinji Shimojo (Chairman APAN & Professor, Aomori University, Japan), Dr. Muhammad Imran Khan (Director PHC Global), Roy Luo (Vice President, Huawei Cloud Business Dept., Huawei Middle East & Central Asia) & Dr. Agha Ali Raza (Assistant Professor LUMS Lahore).
During APAN58, a scrumptious opening dinner along with cultural performance was served to the APAN community at the Serena Hotel on August 27, 2024. Whereas, the closing dinner, accompanied by local art performances, took place at the Highland Country Club, located on Margala Hills near Islamabad, on August 29, 2024.
The APAN58 meeting was a successful event in terms of collaboration amongst R&E community for Asia Pacific and beyond. The meeting not only brought together multiple economies to collaborate under one umbrella but also showcased Pakistan’s hospitality, culture, and intellectual capital, thereby challenging global misconceptions and fostering a positive image of Pakistan. This milestone event helped rebrand Pakistan as a viable destination for international collaborations, research and development. The meeting ended with announcement of the next APAN Meeting host – APAN 59 Yokohama Japan 3 – 7 March 2025.
