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To develop
the country’s national innovation road map, the national
government, through the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST), unveiled recently a national innovation
strategy. It is in response to the call to make science
and technology the anchor of future development programs
and lift the country out of economic doldrums.
Called
Filipinnovation, the strategy aims to underscore
innovation as the key to national competitiveness.
Partners of the DOST in this undertaking are the Asian
Institute of Management, (AIM) International Business
Machines (IBM) and Intellectual Property Philippines (IP).
Federico
Macaranas, executive director of the AIM Policy Center,
said the essence of innovation is to give the marginalized
sectors of society the opportunity to get out from the
shackles of poverty by making science and technology the
anchor of this noble objective.
NICK DONOFRIO, IBM
International EVP for technology and innovation, talks
about the changing nature and scope of innovation during
the National Innovation Summit ‘’ Toward Global
Competitiveness ‘’ held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel .
-- RHOY
COBILLA
Macaranas
pointed out that the country has a lot of potentials in
several areas that can be harnessed for economic
development. He mentioned that coconut-rich provinces such
as Bicol can get out of the poverty cycle if the proper
support and guidance can be provided in their coconut
production for the global market.
“Innovation means not only big bucks for the multinational
companies but as well as to the small to medium
enterprises,” said Macaranas in his presentation during
the recently concluded National Innovation Summit held in
Makati City.
“Innovation can pull out the poor from the vicious cycle
of underdevelopment,” Macaranas added.
He said
the absence of innovation in the core of national
development has contributed to the decline of the
Philippine economy. “Innovation has been divorced for too
long from the national planning and development agenda,”
he said.
He pointed
out that the
Philippines’
natural resources present many opportunities for Filipinos
once they can develop the innovative processes to harness
these resources.
He cited
the Chinese government’s interest to buy the coco coir
from coconut factories in Bicol as part of its
antidesertification campaign. However, Bicol could not
fully comply with the huge requirements of China because
only 15 factories are capable of producing coco coir.
“The ideal
number of factories needed to comply with the basic
requirement of China is 30,” he said.
Coco coir
peat is the coir fiber pith or coir dust, a byproduct when
coconut husks are processed for the extraction of the long
fibers from the husk. It is a multipurpose soil
conditioner and growing medium.
Coco coir peat is
a completely homogenous material composed of millions of
capillary microsponges, which absorbs and holds up to
eight times its own weight in water.
Nicholas
Donofrio, IBM’s executive vice president for technology
and innovation, said in the forum that innovation is not
only centered on science and technology.
“Innovation also includes business processes and
management strategies, among others,” he said in his
address at the forum.
“Innovation is for people who can deal with the vagaries
and subtleties of the 21st century. It is a continuous
process and a life of constant learning,” he added.
Further,
Donofrio urged the audience to pursue thinking like a
letter “T” instead of the letter “I” because the first
embodies the essence of innovation.
“We need
‘T-shaped’ people rather than ‘I’ [shaped] because
innovation calls for a holistic and multidisciplinary
approach toward change,” said Donofrio.
He cited
the difference in innovation in the 20th and 21st
centuries. “In the 20th century, it was more on invention
and creation, but it did not have the objective of
generating value and weight,” he said.
It was
quite different in the 21st century, he said. “It had a
deep insight of the market and deep understanding of the
problems in society, government, education and other
stakeholders. It involves finding the right value and
creating wealth and raising living standards at the same
time,” he said.
As far as
the Big Blue is concerned, Donofrio cited partnerships
formed by IBM with Sony in developing a more powerful
computing chip for the next generation of Playstation.
Further, he said IBM also partnered with world-class
biological organization Scripps for research and
development of anti-avian flu vaccine.
Science
Secretary Estrella Alabastro said innovation will be the
key to lift the country from the low level of
competitiveness and economic malaise.
“Pursuing
and implementing innovation mean more jobs and the
flourishing of Philippine industries which, in turn, will
increase the country’s economic wealth,” said Alabastro at
the summit which was graced by President Gloria Arroyo.
Filipinnovation is divided into four strategies, namely,
human capital, industry, public policy and mindset.
Under
human capital, Alabastro said this would involve enhancing
science and mathematics curriculum in the primary and
secondary levels of education, at the same time retraining
the teachers so they could be competent enough to deliver
quality instruction to students.
“The
Philippine basic education system must therefore address
this critical start in the training of human capital
through the strengthening of math and science education
with the infusion of practical application,” she said.
Alabastro
said establishing multistakeholder linkages is important
because this will play a role in the success of
strengthening human capital and industry. She said the
industry-academe linkage will enable the students to keep
abreast with the latest trends in technology.
She said
the industry will also benefit because it will not require
them to conduct comprehensive training for the students
because of their working knowledge of the processes.
Alabastro
said upgrading the skills and knowledge is a must to
ensure the competitiveness of the country in the global
arena. She said the government has allocated P3.5 billion
for the next seven years for research and development for
seven universities.
“We’d also
like to see greater private-sector participation in
research and development that will encourage the academe
to commercialize their research works,” she said.
Alabastro
said changing the mindset of many Filipinos is a must to
ensure the country’s competitiveness. “Giving a stronger
focus on innovation in the mindset of many Filipinos is
important because this will harness the untapped talents
of many Filipinos,” she said.
Ambassador
Cesar Bautista said innovation must be pursued in the
socioeconomic structure of the country because 80 percent
of the population can only access 20 percent of the
country’s wealth.
“Human
resources, development of management skills, access to
finance, infrastructure development, cutting of
transaction of costs and flows, and the reduction of
energy costs are the main concerns for innovation in the
economy,” he pointed out.
Bautista
stressed that the country must also craft innovative
policies in population management to control the rapid
growth of the country’s population. With a current
estimated population of 89 million, the Philippines is
ranked as the 12th most populous country in the world.
Macaranas
said population management is important because this will
have an impact in developing the capabilities of the
population. He said a big population, especially a young
one, will have an effect in providing health, food and
educational requirements.
IP
Philippines director general Adrian Cristobal Jr. said his
office will play its role in harnessing the creative
geniuses of Filipinos to develop innovation by crafting
the Philippine Intellectual Property strategy.
Part of
the strategy is to conduct an awareness campaign around
the country to tell people the importance of IP. It also
seeks to push the teaching of intellectual property in all
levels of education.
“The
policy strategy will foster a creative and competitive
Philippines that uses intellectual property for national
development,” Cristobal said in a statement. | 
