Case Studies

These case studies highlight collaborative projects springing from IAFOR events, developed in conjunction with IAFOR’s institutional partners. They consist of examples where a specific issue has been raised that has led to the creation of appropriate research outcomes.


The Asian Conference on Aging and Gerontology AGEN

Case Study I

The Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology

The Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology (AGen) is the only international conference on aging held annually in Japan. Dr James McNally, Director of the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) at Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, developed a programme on aging and gerontology focused on Japan and Asia. He brought in colleagues and institutional backing from the University of Tokyo, Nihon University and Duke NUS Medical School in Singapore to maintain an ongoing programme that benefits from an annual conference in Japan as an appropriate venue to study demographic change. The choice of Kobe is particularly fitting given that the city is home to the World Health Organization.


Case Study II

DAMIN Program

Professor George Depeyrot is one of the world’s leading numismatists, and is attached to the CNRS in France. In 2010 he attended The Asian Conference on Arts and Humanities, where the theme was “East Meets West”. At that event, he met a Russian historian and they began a research project on the development of the use of coinage in Japan. This initial collaboration lead to a wider and more ambitious project to look at coinage along the Silk Road and expanded to become the DAMIN (Silver Monetary Depreciation and International Relations) Program. Backed by the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and in collaboration with several other institutions, including the University of Tokyo, the Financial University of the Russian Federation, the National Museum of Denmark, and IAFOR, the DAMIN Program is an example of ongoing interdisciplinary cooperation with a prolific research output.


Case Study III

IAFOR Documentary Photography Award

Founded in January 2015, the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award is an annual international photography award which seeks to promote and assist in the professional development of emerging documentary photographers and photojournalists. The Award is judged by a panel of leading professionals in the field of documentary photography and photojournalism, including our Founding Judge, Paul Lowe. Other judges have included Ed Kashi, Simon Roberts, Emma Bowkett and Simon Norfolk. Now in its third year, the Award has become a highly sought-after prize for early career professionals, and has earned the support of leading institutions in the photographic industry, including World Press Photo and the British Journal of Photography. With the aim of supporting up-and-coming talent, the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award is free to enter.


Case Study IV

The Asia Pacific Conference on Security and International Relations

The Asia Pacific Conference on Security and International Relations (APSec) was launched in 2015 as a more directed research conference to generate policy discussion. The 2016 conference was held at Osaka University as a joint event with the 10th Congress of the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA), in partnership with Osaka University’s Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP).


Case Study V

The Greatest Gift

A shared ambition for change, transformation and social justice was the catalyst for The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) and the HOPE International Development Agency, Japan to document the lives and stories of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) of the Philippines and their struggle to achieve equity in education.

The Greatest Gift was made as part of a fundraising effort to create scholarships for the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education in Davao, Philippines. Hance Pugales is a first year student at the Pamulaan Center and The Greatest Gift follows her story as we learn of the ambitions and challenges of the IP youth.

A full-length documentary which further expands upon the lives of the IPs and the Pamulaan Center is currently in production.