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On 17 May 2011 at the offices of the NewYork Academy of Science (NYAS) inDowntownManhattan, thePrimeMinister,Dato’ SriMohdNajib Tun Abdul Razak, chaired the inauguralconsultative meeting of the Global Science andInnovation Advisory Council (GSIAC). Thecouncil had been convened with the expresspurpose of catalysing international partnershipsandprovidingpracticaladviceonhowto realisethegoalofraisingMalaysia’seconomicstatustothatofanindustrialisednation,asarticulatedinVision2020(1). Inordertoaccomplishthisgoalofgraduatingfromamiddle-incometoahigh-incomeeconomy,Malaysia will have to double its per capitaincome to USD15 000 in less than 9 years (2).Thecountry’sVision2020,asarticulatedin1991by the formerPrimeMinister,TunDrMahathirMohamad, as well as the more recent NewEconomic Model and the Tenth Malaysia Plan

Editorial

identifyscience,technology,andinnovation(STI)ascriticaltoMalaysia’sprosperityandincreasedglobal competitiveness. Malaysia’s developmentstrategiesdemonstrateanacknowledgementthatglobalpartnershipsandasophisticatedknowledgeofinternationalmarketsarealsofundamentaltoachievingindustrialisednationstatus. The Malaysian government has embarkedon a strategic partnership with NYAS to helpbuild the country’s capacity in STI. It was afterbecoming familiar with the Academy’s workin innovation and economic development forMexico and Russia that the Prime Minister,Dato’SriMohdNajibTunAbdulRazak,throughthe Office of the Science Advisor, expressed aninterestinobtaininganinternationalperspectiveon the fundamental components of STI-baseddevelopment. In an article in the New StraitsTimes,ProfessorEmeritusDato’DrZakriAbdulHamid,theScienceAdvisortothePrimeMinister,

Abstract If Malaysia is to become a high-income country by 2020, it will have to transform into a knowledge-based, innovation economy. This goal will be achieved by developing an atmosphere conducive to experimentation and entrepreneurship at home; while reaching out to partners across the globe. One of Malaysia’s newest partnerships is with the New York Academy of Sciences. The Academy has expertise in innovation and higher education and a long history of promoting science, education, and science-based solutions through a global network of scientists, industry-leaders, and policy-makers. Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, leveraged the Academy’s network to convene a science, technology, and innovation advisory council. This council would provide practical guidance to establish Malaysia as an innovation-based economy. Three initial focus areas, namely palm-oil biomass utilisation, establishment of smart communities, and capacity building in science and engineering, were established to meet short-term and long-term targets.

Keywords: economic development, international cooperation, knowledge, Malaysia, science, technology, United States

Malaysia Collaborates with the New York Academy of Sciences to Develop an Innovation-Based Economy

Michel Wahome, Ellis Rubinstein

The New York Academy of Sciences 250 Greenwich St - 40th FloorNew York, New York 10007United States of America

1Malaysian J Med Sci. Jul-Sep 2011; 18(3): 1-3

2 www.mjms.usm.my

Malaysian J Med Sci. Jul-Sep 2011; 18(3): 1-3

elaborated on the government’s interest in theAcademy. He explained that “the government–academia–corporate nexus that is the raisond’être of theNYASmakes it a natural choice toadvise us onhow to improve our approaches inachievingtheNewEconomicModel,inparticulartheroleoftheprivatesector”(3).Furthermore,thePrimeMinisterhadrecognisedparallelsbetweenhisGlobalMovementoftheModeratesinitiativeand theAcademy’sSTI initiative for the Islamicworld. In brief,NYAS, togetherwith theUnitedNations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO), Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO),andmembercountriesoftheIslamicConference,isseekingtomentoryoungresearchersatscienceand technology centres of excellence across theIslamicworld. The Prime Minister’s interest in ourAcademy is emblematic of a yearning weincreasingly encounter across academic,industry, and government sectors to establishmultilateral partnerships to increase the impactof their strategic initiatives. The challenges andopportunities of our globalised world are socomplex that only multi-stakeholder efforts areseen as robust enough to achieve our commonobjectives. TheAcademyhasalonghistoryoffosteringdiscussion and collaborative action by multipleactors.Establishedin1817asascientificsociety,our membership has always been internationaland included prominent people from variouswalksof life—scientists fromvariousdisciplines,as well as business-leaders and policy-makers.Our programmes continue to evolve to reflectchangingtimes,whileservingourthreemandates:to advance scientific research and knowledge,support scientific literacy, and promote theresolution of society’s global challenges throughscience-based solutions. Our main tool is ourability tobringstakeholders togetherandcreatepartnershipsthatbringaboutresultsinkeyareas.For example, in 1946, we held the first globalconferenceonantibiotics. In1983,weconvenedthe first global conference on acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and in2003,attheheightofthesevereacuterespiratorysyndrome crisis (SARS), we brought together,for the first time, experts in that area. In thesecases, and others, we publish the proceedingsof important scientificmeetingsandmake themwidelyavailable.Someofourmaindisseminationchannelsincludethejournal,Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,aswellasouronline e-Briefings.

GSIAC is the first product of Malaysia’sstrategicpartnershipwiththeAcademy.TogetherwithourMalaysiancounterpartsattheMalaysianIndustry-GovernmentGroupforHighTechnology(MIGHT), we set about identifying experts intheAcademy’snetworkwhowerewell-versed ininnovation,entrepreneurship,andeducation.TheGSIACcomprises35members:10fromMalaysiaand25internationalmembersfromChina,India,Russia,Japan,Korea,theNetherlands,theUnitedKingdom,andtheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thisaccomplished group of expertswas convened todistiltheknowledgeandexpertiseofitsesteemedmembersintotangibleandfeasibleprojectsthatcouldstepupMalaysia’sperformanceinSTIandtranslatethatperformanceintoeconomicgrowth. Innovation-based economies are creativeand dynamic. Since they continuously generatenovel concepts and technologies, they avoid theobsolescence and stagnation faced by countriesthat rely on revenues from commodities ormanufacturing.The2020targetnecessitatesthetimelydevelopmentoftherequisiteecosystemthatwillnurtureacreativeentrepreneurialinnovation-culture. Amethod to catalyse this process is toconnecttopre-existingknowledgecentresaroundtheworld,thus,ensuringthatMalaysiabecomesanodeintheglobalinnovationnetwork.Formingconnections and strategic partnerships is dulypartofMalaysia’sSTIstrategy,andsinceitispartoftheAcademy’shistoricmandate,ourallianceisfitting. TheproductofMalaysia–NYAScollaborativeefforts, including the 17MayGSIACmeeting, istheidentificationofthreeinitialfocusareas.

Palm oil The palm oil industry is a sector in whichMalaysia enjoys a significant comparativeadvantage.Itfollowsthatthisisanareathatoffersopportunitiesforquickwins.Substitutingpalmoilin sectors that currentlyutilisepetroleum-basedproductsisonewaytoachievethePrimeMinister’sGreen Future objective. Palm oil biomass canbediverted for use in energy generation aswellasarawmaterialforthemanufactureofvariousbiochemicals.

Smart cities and smart villages With billions of people expected to live inurbanareasincomingdecades,severalcountriesare engaged transforming their urban centresinto green, smart cities, where necessities likewater, power, traffic, and communicationsare managed in a highly efficient way withsophisticated technological infrastructure.

Editorial |Partnershipsforinnovation-basedeconomy

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Applying information technology to targetedmunicipal issues such as learning, health, andenergy conservation will help Malaysia becomea centre of excellence with distinct technicalcompetenciesthatcanthenbeexportedtootheremergingmarkets. While a handful of smart cities are undercreation elsewhere—mostly in highly-developedcountries—Malaysia’sSmartVillagepilotprojectisafirst in the region.Thegoalwillbe toapplyinformation technology solutions to communitychallenges,whereapplicable.

Capacity building Inthelong-term,Malaysia’ssuccessislikelyto hinge on its ability to produce and retain atalented, skilled, and creative workforce, onethat is particularly well grounded in science,engineering, and technical vocations. Recentreports by the World Bank revealed a generalconsensusamongbusinesspeople thatMalaysiawasfallingbehindintermsofproducingaskilledand entrepreneurial workforce; furthermore,there has been a significant brain drain that isdesiccatingthetalentpool(4). TheAcademy’senvisionedroleincludestakingstock of Malaysia’s research and developmentassets, assisting the national government withcreatingandadministeringprogramstopromotementoring and entrepreneurship, sharing bestpractices for post-secondary education reform,coordinating research strengths and educationcompetencies among campuses, and creatinguniversity–industryresearchpartnerships.

As2020fastapproaches,Malaysiawillhavetostepup itsadmirableeconomicachievementsand double its economic growth in 9 years.Partnerships with global thought leaders couldcreate a uniquely Malaysian innovation systemthat will serve as the engine for exponentialeconomic growth. NYAS’s intention has alwaysbeen to ensure that science continues to be aninstrument for prosperity and improvements inquality of life. Our continued interaction withMalaysia builds upon our long history of usingsciencetocreatepositiveimpactaroundtheglobe.WehopetocontributetoMalaysia’sfulfilmentofVision2020andsustainingthatgrowthbybuildingupon established strengths, creative problem-solving, and encouraging experimentation andentrepreneurship in its talents pool. Thereby,Malaysia can be an exemplar for emerging anddevelopingeconomiesaroundtheworld.

Correspondence

MsMichelWahomeBSc(Hons)EnviromentalStudies(UniversityofWaterloo),MScEnvironmentalPolicy(BardCollege)TheNewYorkAcademyofSciences250GreenwichSt-40thFloorNewYork,NewYork10007UnitedStatesofAmericaTel:+1.212.298.8628Fax:+1.212.298.3638Email:mwahome@nyas.org

References

1. MahathirM.Malaysia: Theway forward [Internet].Inaugural Meeting of the Malaysian BusinessCouncil; 1991 Feb 28; Kuala Lumpur, MY. KualaLumpur (MY): Centre for Economic Research &Services, Malaysian Business Council; 1991 [cited2011 Jun 3]. Available from: http://www.pmo.gov.my/?menu=page&page=1904.

2. Malaysia economic monitor: Growth throughinnovation [Internet]. Bangkok (TH): The WorldBank; 2010 [cited 2011 Jun 2]. Available from:http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMALAYSIA/Resources/324392-1271308532887/mem_april2010_fullreport.pdf.

3. ZakriAH.Peacethroughscience,education[Internet].TheNewStraitsTimes.2010Nov12[cited2011Jun2];OP-ED. Available from: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Peacethroughscience_education/Article/art_print.

4. Malaysia economicmonitor: Brain drain [Internet].Bangkok(TH):TheWorldBank;2011[cited2011Jun2]. Available from: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2011/05/02/000356161_20110502023920/Rendered/PDF/614830WP0malay10Box358348B01PUBLIC1.pdf.