Role of International Organizations in Globalizing e‐Infrastructure

What promotes the globalization of e‐infrastructure or cyberinfrastructure? What are the contributors to creating and globalizing the information infrastructure for international collaborative research in various academic disciplines? This paper seeks to identify what roles international organizations play in the global expansion of e‐infrastructure, especially research and education network. Through a case study of the Trans‐Eurasia Information Network (TEIN) project implemented via the Asia‐Europe Meeting (ASEM), it will review and categorize the functions of international organizations into three phases – initiation, coordination and institutionalization. By doing archival research based on the intergovernmental official documents and scholarly literature, it will also highlight the limitations and achievements of international organizations in advancing the global evolution of research and education network.