by NURUL SUHAIDI / pic credit: utm.my

MALAYSIANS, especially those in the position of power, should be forward-thinking and not be stuck in the mindset of how things were done 20-30 years ago, said Academy of Sciences (ASM) president Datuk Dr Asma Ismail (picture).

Efforts on research and development (R&D) in the science, technology and innovation (STI) ecosystem should be intensified, she said, or the country may not be able to respond adequately to global crises such as Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Asma said this during the launch of the ASM Science Outlook 2022 report yesterday.

The report among others recommended a more transformative mindset, integrated planning, inclusive implementation, importance of research, human talent development and consistency for STI development.

“From the study, we can conclude that the country did show tremendous progress in some aspects in terms of STI policy development and implementation, however, Malaysia could have done better” she said.

“In essence, our STI ecosystem tends to adopt a piecemeal approach and is fragmented in many ways from the governance management cycle, investment, talent development to infrastructure. We lack focus and consistency during implementation,” she added.

This in turn hinders the country to leave out the middle-income trap when the global economy and technological complexities continue to evolve rapidly.

“Unfortunately, our resources are spread thinly and it diluted the impact our investment could have had. Our industry is also by and large risk averse when it comes to investing in R&D.

“In comparison, this is why our gross domestic expenditure on R&D is just around 1% while developed countries spend at least 2% to 4% on their research activities,” she said.

All of this has made the country’s STI ecosystem sluggish, and the ripple effect of the impact has affected the lives on so many levels, from a sluggish economy to a less-than-ideal quality of life to an inability to respond adequately to global shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic.

She added that the progress of a country is no longer solely measured by GDP but also by the growth and wellbeing of the people.

The ASM Science Outlook 2022 report is a flagship study that provides insights into Malaysia’s STI landscape, providing a reality check of the STI progress over the past three decades.

With the theme “Unlocking the Future”, the study focuses on economic development and bench-marking the findings against the global standard.

Dr Asma added that over the last five years, ASM has been instrumental in carrying out strategic studies, working papers and initiatives for 10 different ministries including central agencies such as Economic Planning Unit.

“We take pride that out of all the studies conducted by ASM, about 80% of our recommendations have been taken up by the government” she added.

Apart from the focus on economic advancement, this is the first Science Outlook report which scans societal wellbeing as well as environmental conservation and sustainability through the STI lens.

Meanwhile, Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the robust findings and timely recommendations of the Science Outlook 2020 will be a great addition to the planning and tracking of STI and economy (STIE) indicators by Malaysia, specifically by Mosti.

“This evidence-based report will be a part of Mosti’s reference in mainstreaming STIE to ensure the nation’s economic, societal and environmental progression is in tandem with the aspirations towards achieving the high-tech nation by 2030.”

According to Dr Adham, Mosti’s current initiatives are reflective of this approach.

“The ministry is developing roadmaps in strategic sectors such as vaccine development, robotics, commercialisation, hydrogen economy and start-ups through partnerships with its agencies,” he said.

“Mosti is also focusing on strengthening Malaysia’s start-up ecosystem by working closely with relevant entities through the MyStartup Roadmap which will be launched soon with the hope of developing more indigenous technology and nurture brilliant world-class technopreneurs towards becoming a competitive start-up nation,” he said.