AMIC Profile

The Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) is a non-profit NGO and a registered charity in Singapore with the mission of spearheading the development of media and communication expertise in Asia within the broad framework of economic, social and cultural development.

AMIC was established with seed funding support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a private non-profit, public-interest foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany. FES provided AMIC with seed funding from 1970 to 2000. FES is a key partner and continues to extend its support through limited project funding. AMIC is located within the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at the prestigious Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. As part of its support for AMIC, the government provides the office premises to AMIC free of cost.

The government’s commitment in supporting the creation of a regional media organization and the historical significance of the country resulted in locating AMIC in Singapore. However, AMIC is a fully independent institution and covers the entire Asia-Pacific region in its activities.

AMIC is unique as it is the only regional media and communication research organization in the world. It was established in 1971 and exists to encourage ethical and social responsibility of the media to support democratic access and participation in media development and production. It also works to provide opportunities for empowerment of disadvantaged sectors in the communication/media environment.

It performs these roles on many fronts: As a research centre it examines critical issues in the media and communication sector and their implications for development, as reflected through its publications. As a resource centre it gathers and disseminates knowledge about communication and its effects in Asia. By conducting training and professional consultations it is active in capacity building for the media and their users. AMIC has been unwavering in its commitments in these sectors and over the years has broadened its expertise base to encompass new challenges reflective of the changing scene within media and society in general.

One of AMIC’s key strengths is that, in addition to having major development partners and strong academic credentials, it is also actively involved in working with the industry in facilitating dedicated high-profile industry events. These events are consciously designed and planned to bring industry, development partners, NGO’s and individual stakeholders together to share perspectives, challenges, and best practices. By facilitating this, AMIC has successfully reduced barriers and has been instrumental in facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration and training to those that need it most.