Research information related to ICH and its safeguarding is essential to understand the current situation and challenges of ICH safeguarding. To make such information more widely available, IRCI has been collecting research information in the Asia-Pacific region since FY 2013 and making it accessible on the IRCI Research Database. From FY 2019, research information related to ICH in seven countries, mainly in Southeast Asia, was collected as part of the Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific Region project.

From FY 2022, research data collection is implemented in the countries of Central Asia and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the current state of ICH research has not yet been fully grasped. In Central Asia, research information will be collected by partner institutions in each country by establishing a data collection network in their own countries. For SIDS, in the first year, an alternative methodology that is appropriate for this region will be developed in consultation with experts and partner institutions, and information collection will start in the following years. This project is expected to enhance the capacity to understand research trends related to ICH safeguarding in each country, while stimulating information sharing and discussions on ICH and its safeguarding within the country and the region.