The U.S. Government, in partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), launched the inaugural ASEAN-U.S. Science and Technology (S&T) Fellowship in April 2014. Over the next several years, the Fellowship will place emerging science leaders into government ministries to strengthen evidence-based policy making. The Fellowship also empowers young leaders to engage in policies that drive national priorities and impact the lives of citizens in ASEAN. This approach is modeled after the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellowship, which has placed over 2,600 fellows in U.S. Government agencies for over 40 years.