Malaysia: Innovation Nation. Building the ecosystem

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Malaysia: Innovation Nation convention makes innovation priority to achieve high income status by 2020

The nation’s most high profile creativity university, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, put across the message of ‘building the eco-system’ at a convention where the Prime Minister and other speakers strongly recommended as the way forward for Malaysia as an innovative nation.

Organized by the University and launched by Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on 20 July, the ‘Malaysia: Innovation Nation’ convention served as a ‘think tank’ to identity gaps as well as opportunities to facilitate dynamic changes through innovation.

Let’s walk and talk together

In setting the tone for convention, Dato’ Sri Najib urged the private sector to work with his government to put in place the right eco-system of change so that Malaysia may advance swiftly on the speedway to high income status.

“The government is well aware that the innovation eco-system in Malaysia needs to be tweaked and fine-tuned. We have been listening to the voices from the ground and have taken stock of the needs and requirements of the business and industry sector. It is the private sector that has to generate the income that we need to become a high-income economy. For the private sector to do this effectively, we have to create the right environment – from funding to talent to government policies.”

Indeed, government policies are an important component of the innovative eco-system, which is why it has introduced the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) among others since 2009.

“A highly evolved innovation eco-system enables participants to work across enterprise boundaries, focus on customer value creation, respond quickly to shifts in market demand, accelerate the transition from research to production and be more adaptive to change.”

Voice of innovation

Long before creativity and innovation became the signature statement of the 21st century, one lone voice was already awakening minds across the country and around the globe on the importance of innovation, a powerful transformation tool that will re-invent the world as never before.

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Lim Kok Wing, the President of Limkokwing University, is still passionate about changing the people’s mindset and this national innovation convention is a forerunner to many more forums and seminars to come.

He strongly feels that the school is the best place to implant creativity and innovation in the minds of the young.

“In a world that is placing an increasing value on the power of innovation, our education system should nurture and inspire a passion to explore and create; not be obsessed with passing examinations and collecting paper qualifications.”

People with the right frame of mind are capable of achieving the impossible and this must be inculcated in our teaching and learning process.

“We need our people to think and live outside of the box in everything that they do. These are the kind of people who, through the ages, have changed the way we live and work, and the things we do. These are the people who would move mountains if mountains are standing in the way.”

What is innovation?

Innovation is a natural process that moves the world to new levels.

Just think how far we have come since the days before the invention of so many things that we take for granted right now?

The medical breakthroughs, the modes of transportation, the communication channels, the financial tools, the manufacturing processes, the digitalized environment and the virtual entertainment scene are just some of the many advances that are re-inventing our daily lives.

Focused on re-inventing a new Malaysia

As a platform, the ‘Malaysia: Innovation Nation’ national convention brought together more than 500 delegates from all sectors — the industry, business, academia, entrepreneurs, government and professionals.

Making their presentations on ‘building the eco-system’, the invited speakers kept the audience in awe with their mastery on different topics, which were professionally delivered with a touch of wit that only served to keep the auditorium alert and alive.

Topics of interest:

• Re-inventing the administration for essential transformation by YB Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Minister of Science Technology & Innovation
• Re-inventing SMEs as pivotal contributors by Mr. Chua Tiam Wee, National President, SMI Association of Malaysia
• Re-inventing our overall eco-system to promote creative thinking by YBhg. Datuk Mohd Badlisham Ghazali, CEO, Multimedia Development Corporation
• Re-inventing the education systems: encouraging innovation by Professor Dato’ Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, President, Malaysian Educational Management & Leadership Association
• Re-inventing Human Capital Development in the Creative content Industry by YBhg. Datuk Johan Jaafar, Chairman, Media Prima Berhad

Suggestions and recommendations

Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili echoed the Prime Minister’s call for innovation in every facet of development, while recommending the setting of a National R&D Programme to develop a world-class excellence to innovate the country.

He also proposed the establishment of an Innovation Trust Fund to ensure that the private sector and research bodies are able to continue their research activities to the final result.

Datuk Badlisham, the CEO of MDeC said as the driver of multimedia companies in the super corridor, MDeC would like to position Malaysia “as the creative hub” by tapping the available talent resources and the fast-growing ICT companies in the country.

The third speaker Mr. Chua voiced the hope that SMEs would get the assistance they needed to promote their products and services overseas and also bring the sector into the mainstream of the economy.

Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid delivered an interesting presentation on education, which he termed as “a journey we travel together” and that “education is always about the future”.

He explained that “education is the heart of any thing that we want to bring about or initiate change”, and his proposal was “to change we must change knowledge itself, the method, the pedagogy and the assessment”.

The final speaker of the day-long convention was the Chairman of Media Prima Datuk Johan. His said that the content creation industry is huge and offers incredible growth potentialities valued at more than 1.4 trillion USD by 2011.

Convention will hasten innovation

Datuk Sri Najib was full of praise for the University for initiating a convention of this nature, which he believes will go a long way to hasten the development of Malaysia through creativity and innovation.

“Let me conclude by once again congratulating the Limkokwing University for conducting this convention. This is an institution that has been pushing innovation in education for the past 29 years and at its helm is a man who has been advocating change through innovation for more than three decades. I commend Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing personally for his untiring commitment to creativity and innovation and I am certain the many students who hone their creative talents at his learning institutions are inspired by his dedication and zest for all things new and innovative.”

Always a positive man who looks at things from a brighter and bigger perspective, Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing continues to espouse the reality that the right policies, right leadership and right mindsets are the ingredients to the future.

“This country is not short of talents who have the caliber, the vigour and the ideas to take us to a higher level of development. What we need urgently is to put in place a culture that will encourage, recognize and celebrate creativity and innovation in all spheres.”