INNOVATION ROUNDTABLE

REPORT

The Innovation Roundtable: Malaysian Policy and Practice on Innovation: Past, Present, & Future was held on 28 September 2007 at the new Monash University, Sunway Campus. The topic of innovation comes in a timely manner as the Ninth Malaysia Plan places heavy emphasis on innovation, along with science, and technology. The objective of this roundtable was to explore the possibilities of starting an innovation research centre at Monash University’s Sunway campus. This centre will be unique in that it will rely heavily on active participation from the Malaysian business sector. The aim of the centre would be to engage multiple innovation stakeholders in identifying the greatest challenges faced by companies in Malaysia in its attempt to foster and leverage the power of innovation. The centre aims at providing the Malaysian environment with honest and critical feedback that is independent of the government. Most importantly, it hopes to be a producer of knowledge and knowledge workers.

The panelists, all of whom are academicians, discussed various definitions of “innovation” to set

the tone for the roundtable. Many of them challenged conventional associations with the term “innovation” by arguing that innovation does not only mean technology and inventing new computer software. They encouraged participants to rethink such associations and suggested to look for innovation practices in areas like pop culture---fashion, music, and films. Therefore, a centre of innovation should encourage interdisciplinary approaches to its research and not be confined to merely science, engineering, and technology. Besides research and development, a centre of innovation should also be self-reflective and encourage philosophical innovation. New ways of thinking and approaching innovation should always be at the core of any centre of innovation.

The panelists also discussed where Malaysia is today in the field of Innovation and attempted to examine the reasons underlying why Malaysia is not harnessing the power of innovation for its economic development, as evidenced by the under-utilization of the minds of the youth. Asian cultures tend to expect the younger generations to agree and accept without challenging convention. This poses a serious threat to the growth of innovation, as a culture restrained by age hierarchy would find it difficult to innovate. The session identified that, at least in the context of Malaysia, age hierarchy is a major impediment towards an innovative society, especially the age restrictions imposed upon young employees that curb creative and fresh solutions.

All five of the panelists expressed their concern for Malaysia’s slow progress in the field of R&D, citing patent activities to be weak, a negligible output of local research papers, lack of researchers, and low R&D expenditures. Malaysia is still seen largely as a manufacturer, rather than a producer, despite attempts by the Malaysian government to actively move the economy towards a more knowledge-based economy. The weakness in Malaysia’s well-thought-out policies lie in their implementation. Many of the participants agreed and feel that the human capital in Malaysia is too weak to support such an economy. In order to develop the human resource, local universities must shoulder the burden of creating individuals who are able to adapt and utilize science, technology, and innovation while also producing it.

During the Q&A Session, two key issues on innovation in Malaysia were identified and explored: what are Malaysia’s economic strengths and weaknesses that will nurture or limit homegrown innovation, and how will a centre of innovation help Malaysia overcome its economic weaknesses?

Many of the participants praised Malaysia’s handling of the 1997 financial crisis. During this time, the Malaysian government demonstrated a commendable economic pragmatism and the ability to create a clear regulating environment that was best suited for its context. Many also commented on Malaysia’s successful eradication of poverty, citing that the government had effectively converted military strategies into policies that have created a stable political and financial fiscal system for Malaysia.

Many of the Australian participants were not in opposition of Malaysia’s affirmative actions, however, they would like to see better implementations of existing policies. They felt that the government underpins foreign companies and places too many restrictions on the country’s foreign investors. A participant commented that HR practices in Malaysia should be improved, if Malaysia wishes to lure reputable researchers and skilled labor.

Key speakers at the roundtable were Lord Prof Meghnad Desai, Prof Marika Vicziany, Prof.Merilyn Liddell, Tan Sri Dr Dato’ Ramon V. Navaratnam, H.E. Penny Williams, Prof Abid Khan, Prof Pervaiz Khalid Ahmed, and Prof Nick Birrell.

Tan Sri Dr Ramon V. Navaratnam and Prof Marika Vicziany as Joint Conveners closed the session with a vote of thanks and briefly reiterated the general consensus of the participants, many of whom are at the forefront of the business sector. The participants are excited about Monash University’s latest endeavour and hope that there will be further avenues for the business sector to invest in this particular production of knowledge. However, they foresee that the biggest challenge for this centre will be to successfully develop knowledge workers for the Malaysian workforce, which will set itself apart from its local counterparts.