At a meeting of representatives of a number of leading mathematical institutions in the Pacific Rim, held at the Banff International Research Station, Canada, October 14-15, 2005, a resolution was made to establish an organization, to be known as the Pacific Rim Mathematical Association (PRIMA), with the mission to promote and facilitate the development of the mathematical sciences throughout the Pacific Rim region. The Members of PRIMA will fall into three categories:

• institutes
• departments of mathematical sciences
• national math societies

The Pacific Rim will be defined loosely, following well-known regional bodies such as APEC. An inclusive attitude will be applied to membership. Special attention will be paid to encouraging membership and developing activities with countries in South East Asia, the Pacific Island nations and Latin America.

Initially, MSRI and PIMS will provide administrative support for this initiative, such as establishing a website and mailing list, logistic help etc.

Steering Committee

Alejandro Adem (Canada)
Federico Ardila (Colombia/USA)
Marston Conder (New Zealand)
David Eisenbud (USA)
Yasha Eliashberg (USA)
Nassif Ghoussoub (Canada)
Tony Guttmann (Australia)
Le Minh Ha (Vietnam)
Shi Jin (China/USA)
Alejandro Jofre (Chile)
Yujiro Kawamata (Japan)
JongHae Keum (Korea)
Doug Lind (USA)
Kyewon Koh Park (Korea)
Shige Peng (China)
Jose Seade (Mexico)
Gang Tian (China/USA)
Tatiana Toro (USA)

Vision

The representatives of a number of leading mathematical institutions in the Pacific Rim met at the Banff International Research Station, Canada on October 14-15, 2005. The rapidly expanding scientific capacity and the enormous potential arising from the cultural and intellectual diversity of the Pacific Rim region were recognized.

It was agreed that a well coordinated and concerted effort among our institutions and countries would stimulate a vibrant and interconnected mathematical community whose activities would have an unprecedented impact on our economic, social and cultural development.

A resolution was made to establish an organization, to be known as the Pacific Rim Mathematical Association (PRIMA), and to develop an action plan to achieve these goals. The mission of PRIMA will be to promote and facilitate the development of the mathematical sciences throughout the Pacific Rim region.

The principal objectives of PRIMA will be:

• To create a network for the exchange of ideas and the dissemination of scientific knowledge;
• To coordinate and encourage wider participation in scientific activities in the region in order to maximze their effectiveness;
• To substantially increase the region's capacity in training the next generations of mathematical scientists;
• To identify geographical areas in need of mathematical advancement and to assist them in strengthening their expertise and infrastructure;
• To promote breadth and diversity within the mathematical sciences community;
• To share expertise in the promotion of the mathematical sciences, and their impact on society and the global economy;
• To pool resources where appropriate, and to identify potential new ones to assist the scientific development of every community in our region.

Action Plans

"Make no small plans: they hold no magic to stir men's blood"

To carry out the goals of the PRIMA network and to establish an ongoing collaboration among participating institutions, we plan to initiate the following actions.

PRIMA sponsored summer schools for graduate students

There already exist a large number of summer schools and tutorial workshops for graduate students in Pacific Rim countries, including those sponsored by PIMS, in Mexico, AMSI in Australia, Columbia, KIAS in Korea, Singapore, and China. We will work collaboratively to expand participation in these summer schools to students from other Pacific Rim regions, with PRIMA then being one of the sponsors. We will set up a website with information about each such summer school and how to participate. Using PRIMA as a coordinating idea opens new avenues for funding of students and speakers.

Pacific Rim Congress

In order to create rich networking possibilities, survey regional mathematical developments, and disseminate the latest scientific advances, we will hold a Pacific Rim Congress of the Mathematical Sciences once every four years, starting in 2008 or 2009. We envisage this as much more than just a large meeting, but with prizes, invited addresses of the highest quality, and likely specialized conferences held before or after the meeting. We will place special emphasis on involving junior researchers in this activity.

Exchange of scholars

PRIMA will promote the regular exchange of scholars at all levels, including senior and junior researchers, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates. Existing exchange programs offered by many universities will be used for this, PRIMA will coordinate and publicize this information.
Postdoctoral positions involving two or more institutions in the region will be developed according to need, providing a richer and more varied professional experience.

Co-advising and joint PhD programs

PRIMA will facilitate co-advising arrangements for graduate students from the Pacific Rim, and will promote (when feasible) possible joint degree programs.

Sharing benefits of expertise among institutes

Mathematical institutes have developed different strengths (e.g. MSRI's vast video collection, IMS (Singapore)'s Newsletter); benefits of this expertise will be shared and expanded.

Expanded collaborative research groups

Collaborative research groups (such as PIMS Collaborative Research Groups or the NSF funded Focused Research Groups) can be expanded to include researchers from the Pacific Rim, to develop international research networks in specialized areas.

PRIMA Lectures & promotion of mathematics in developing countries

PRIMA is committed to helping to strengthen the mathematical communities in less developed nations in the Pacific Rim, by inviting targeted groups to participate in PRIMA activities. In particular PRIMA will develop a popular lecture series with the goal of sending top mathematical scientists to less developed regions to promote mathematics and its applications. Funding opportunities for assisting these development efforts will be vigorously pursued.