Building an ecosystem for innovation

Saturday, 28 November 2009 | Filed under Innovation

It’s only apt that as 2009 draws to a close and 2010 — Malaysia’s Year of Creativity and Innovation Year — is ushered in, we should all reflect on how we can do our part to transform the country into an innovation-led economy.

The goals of Vision 2020 are within sight but Malaysia may have lagged behind over the years. The way forward is to push ahead an ecosystem that is conducive to productivity and that will bring about innovation, the competitive tool essential for economic growth.

We must look into ways to stimulate innovation. There must be in place the right skilled labour, and policies that support R&D and information communications technology. We must focus on innovation-intensive industries such as telecommunications and biotech.

Need for innovation-friendly climate

The most crucial step at this point is to build an ecosystem that, apart from helping companies become innovative, educate Malaysians on the importance of achieving innovation. We need to cultivate an innovation-friendly environment; innovate every segment of the country — urban as well as rural. It cannot be that people in the rural areas are left behind in this race to innovate.

We have the capability to become competitive in the new global environment and join the ranks of other successful, innovative countries, but first, we need an education system that produces a people who are creative, inventive and innovative. We need companies that believe in innovation as the factor that drives quality and productivity. And we need government agencies to adopt policies that will enhance the efforts of both public and private sectors to build markets overseas. Certainly, these agencies play a crucial role in supporting and facilitating the undertakings of the private sector in their attempt to become more competitive on the global stage.

Most innovative campus in the world

At Limkokwing, we’ve spent some three decades promoting innovation in creative education, and we are happy to say that today the fruit of our labour is there for all to see — Limkokwing has 12 campuses in three continents with 30,000 students hailing from more than 150 countries. There are also numerous awards and recognition from various countries worldwide to show for it. But we wouldn’t want to rest on our laurels; there is much more to be done, both for the university and for the country.

The status of Limkokwing today as one of the most innovative universities in the world is also the country’s achievement, but in our eyes, there is a whole nation to innovate. We must do much more to ensure all Malaysians understand that being more innovative translates to being more competitive.

Crucial component in attracting foreign investment

Making 2010 Year of Creativity and Innovation is a step in the right direction that underlines how the government looks upon innovation as a crucial component of the national agenda in building a high-income economy.

And just as we believe in inspiring students into creative thinkers who are able to produce innovative ideas, I think Malaysians can only be ahead of the game if they adopt the right mindset.

To attract foreign investment especially in the face of global economic uncertainty, we need to be seen as being innovation-friendly. We cannot have policies that hamper innovation performance.

Lessons can be drawn from such countries as Japan, Sweden and South Korea. An Economist Intelligence Unit report sponsored by Cisco ranks Japan, Switzerland, Finland, the US and Sweden at the top of the 30 most innovative countries in the world (Malaysia is projected to be in 35th  place between the period 2009–2013 in the study).

It is no coincidence that many of the countries that rank high in terms of innovation are small countries. Resource-poor countries such as Japan have economical and social conditions that help drive innovation. Over there, the attitude is “innovate or die”, so the sense of conviction is strong.

We see other small countries like Singapore, long noted for its capability in attracting foreign investment, remaining strong in its position as centre for manufacturing. And that’s because its government has encouraged the growth of industrial parks focused on nurturing innovation in technology and biotech. Across the causeway, a lot of focus is given to R&D and the training of skilled labour.

Pockets of innovation but need to carve own niche

We should likewise, train ourselves to think competitively as a country. We have pockets of innovation but much more needs to be done. Currently those who are innovative in the country suffer because the system is not keeping up with them. We need to address this. We cannot have a sector that is ahead of the game and others that are not. Things must be streamlined so that there is integration; in order for one to complement the other.

As a country, we should be able to forge our own path in achieving innovation on a global scale. We should look at what others have done that have succeeded, not necessarily following exactly how they have achieved innovation but coming up with our own business models. We have enough natural resources to come up with our own ideas; to carve our own niche on the world stage.

We could for instance, produce our own car as we have the main ingredients such as petrol, plastic and rubber. It’s not about competing with Toyota but to be a bestseller in our own right. It’s about carving our own niche.

The mindset change that should begin at the primary school-level, should ultimately result in a people who are result-driven. Currently we are process-driven, not result-driven. The private sector is mainly result-driven but without the necessary support from the relevant government agencies, their efforts would be hampered.

So yes, we must start educating Malaysians about the importance of being creative and innovative from young — at primary school level. We must build schools where children are encouraged to think critically and inventively; we must cultivate the spirit of competitiveness in them. It would be a shame if we, as a rich-resource nation, failed to keep up with the rest.

Think local in acting global

It is also crucial that we believe in ourselves, and provide more support and opportunities to our fellow Malaysians. For instance, our government agencies should stop looking outside the country whenever they need to engage expertise.

We should always look at our own pool of talented and brainy people before inviting foreigners to set up businesses that already exist here. It’s time we stopped glorifying all things western and believed in our own capability.

It would be counter-productive to the national economy to bring in foreign organisations that would compete with home-grown companies that have proven their worth. For instance, by inviting foreign universities to set up business here, we are promoting the notion that foreign entities are important to the future of the country’s development, and worse, that local organisations are inferior to them.

Certainly, the mentality that everything foreign is better must change. If we have no faith in our own ability, how can we even begin to aspire for bigger things? We diminish local efforts to win international recognition when we always rush to look outside the country whenever we need talent.

It’s ironical to me that such mentality continues to persist although many home-grown brands already enjoy international recognition for their quality.

Year of Creativity and Innovation

As for us at Limkokwing, we shall continue to build the university. Come what may, the university will continue to grow from strength to strength. Today, we are positioned as a globalised university and rightly so. Some 60% of the 9,000 students at the Cyberjaya campus, for instance, are foreign, and the university’s website will have achieved 100 million hits by the end of the year.

Last August, the university launched the Limkokwing Innovation Bank that comprises a million creative ideas. It’s a million ideas from all corners of the world because the student population here is made up of young people from many different countries. The bank is the ideal complement to the other Limkokwing-hatched project that took root some five years ago: the One World Club that celebrates the diversity of cultures on campus and the cultivation of a ‘can do’ spirit among the students.

We have always stressed on the culture of excellence that is today a hallmark of the university. We always tell our students that they are what they feel. If a person feels like a winner, he or she will be one.

Our students are trained and inspired in such a way that they are all winners. And as one, they represent a promising force of positive change for the world.

Now, if only all Malaysians could train themselves to think this way — the country would then be well and truly on its way to becoming a bigger innovator than ever. So, yes, let’s bring on 2010, Year of Creativity and Innovation, and let’s all play a part in making it a success!