Formation of startups and new companies
Commercial exploitation of science, technology, and novelty
System of laws, regulations, strategies, and funding priorities
Discovery and creation of new knowledge of the natural world
Technological Advancements in the world.
Growth of Science & Innovation in the Muslim WorldWe have a lot of stereotypes among of which is that Muslim women are repressed and do not get a chance to reach their full potential in their chosen fields, especially in the science fora. The session on the growth of science in the Islamic world, at the Euroscience Open Forum 2012 in Dublin, sounded intriguing and interesting for me as a a woman science journalist.
The topic being addressed was about the social and political shifts in the wake of the regional revolutions we are witnessing, as well as studying the place that science, technology and innovation have in the growth trajectory of the Islamic world. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar are pouring funds into universities and building technology parks. But what about countries like Indonesia and Egypt?
Both speakers at the session – Priya Shetty and Michael Bond, freelance science writers from London, had differing tales to tell. Shetty had done a three-month research project on the issue in Indonesia. She was eloquent about the beauty of Indonesia and the country’s natural resources, however she said her research showed that the country hadn’t caught up with the 21st century in terms of moving forward after President Suharto resigned in 1998. “Indonesia lags behind other ASEAN countries, in fact after President Suharto, the country’s progress has gone into a tailspin and the development has stopped for the last 20-25 years. Indonesia isn’t getting it right and there is a big disconnect between policies and implementation,” revealed Shetty.
Is Indonesia Suffering?
She went on to say that Indonesia just produces and exports its raw materials, and research is at a very basic level. If anything, she said scientists are totally neglected and if anyone goes abroad on a government scholarship, they are expected to come back and work twice as long as their stay abroad for the country.
By: Alex Dehgan, former Science Advisor to Administrator of USAID.
Dear Colleagues,
December 13th will be my last day as the Chief Scientist for US Agency for International Development, and the end of nearly ten years of service of applying science in furtherance of US foreign policy and foreign assistance. This has included transforming development at USAID, helping build the first national park in Afghanistan (through the Wildlife Conservation Society), engaging Iran through science diplomacy, using science to rebuild Iraq, and empowering the world through science, technology, and innovation. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve.
I apologize about ...
Editors Note: With the events in Egypt turning south after the deposition of an elected government and re-imposition of de-facto Martial Law, it is perhaps, opportunate to review what The Royal Society said late last year in its Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation Project report on Egypt. Here is the summary of the document. - A.O.
It is not often that a country is faced with the prospect of rebuilding from the ground up. Egypt’s recent revolution – notwithstanding the many and inevitable challenges it presents – has ushered in an era of unprecedented hope and expectation. This report assesses the current state of science, technology and innovat...
By:Athar Osama
Published on SciDev.Net on 12 October 2012
Muslim countries must alter their stance on the social sciences if they are to use technology to its full potential, says Athar Osama.
The last two centuries have reduced global hunger, poverty, and disease in ways that were previously unimaginable. The accelerating pace of technological development — computing, the Internet, the information and genetic engineering revolutions — only promises greater progress in coming decades.
But getting these developments to the people who need them is far from an exact science, as recent development experience has shown . For example, mechanisms for producing c...
The Islamic world’s current science effort is on life support and without major ‘surgery’ could be yet another policy failure, says Athar Osama.
In 2007, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) created the Science, Technology and Innovation Organisation (STIO) to jumpstart science cooperation among its 57 member countries. Three years later, a founding meeting approved an annual budget of US$70 million, with four founding members — Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and and Syria — committing US$5 million each to the budget.
To date, 20 countries have joined STIO — but none has honoured its financial commitment, according to the organisatio...
By Zakri Abdul Hamid –
Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of Malaysia
For Malaysia, the past three decades have been a period of rapid and sustained growth. Measuring growth with the traditional Gross Domestic Product yardstick, Malaysia’s economy has increased more than a hundredfold. Over the past four decades, we have averaged nearly 7% annual growth. Poverty rates have fallen from 49%, to less than 4%. Per-capita GDP has risen from US$370, to more than US$9,000.
This growth has been matched by a fundamental change in the structure of our economy. Like many Asian countries, we have moved from a basis of agriculture and raw commodities to a multi-sector eco...
By: Dr. Athar Osama
Muslim-Science.Com met with Tan Sri Dr. Omar Abdur Rahman, Mahathir’s Science Advisor for over a decade and half and, the “prime mover” behind Mahathir Mohammed’s vision of a Knowledge-driven Malaysia. A deeply humble man, Tan Sri Omar insists that Mahathir was a science policymaker par excellence in his own right and that he would hardly have needed a science advisor. However, he played a critical role in providing scientific credibility to Mahathir’s plans and helping the Prime Minister reach out to the scientific community to build support for his policies.
As Malaysia’s first and longest serving Science Advisor – a position t...
