4TH TECHNOPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITION (TISE) 2012
Report by Jasmine Leong. Photos by Xander Chong
Creating a Bright Future through Science, Technology and Innovation: In October 2012, Scientific Malaysian (SciMy) was proud to be one of the co-organisers of the 4th Technopreneurship and Innovation Symposium and Exhibition (TISE) that was held in Technology Park Malaysia (TPM), Bukit Jalil. Among special guests present for the opening ceremony were Dato’ Dr Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad, Deputy Secretary General of Ministry of Science , Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) as well as Dato’ Haji Mohd Azman Hj Shahidin, CEO of TPM.
Technopreneurship simply means technology entrepreneurship that involves business initiation and planning for a technological product or idea. TISE aims to establish an effective ecosystem among technoprenuers, investors and academicians in Malaysia. The event provides a platform for aspiring technoprenuers to look for ideas and business opportunities. “Triple helix collaboration between the government, industry and academic promises sustainability, in driving technopreneurship in Malaysia. Participation of young scientist in such events improves creativity and innovation at early stage that would benefit the development of Malaysia in time to come,” said Dr Sharifah.
Prof Emeritus Dato’ C.P. Ramachandran, VicePresident of the Malaysian Scientific Association (MSA) added, “Graduates today require guidance to enhance their capabilities in entrepreneurship in order to be on the right career track especially in the field of science.”
One of the highlight of the event was the results announcement of the Best Young Technopreneur Competition 2012 that was won by Gan Yu Han and Leong Chee Ken from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). The winners submitted an invention entitled Contour Positioning System (CPS) that is a calculation method maximizing usage of energy in electric car navigation. The second prize went to Rosazlin Abdullah from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) with her project on Compost Recycled Paper Mill Sludge. As commented by the panel of judges, these projects were judged based on factors such as business drive, teamwork, alignment, technical expertise and innovation.
The other highlight of the event was the forum entitled University-Business Collaboration Malaysia’s Challenges and the Way Forward. The forum consists of three panels, Dr Geoffrey Williams, Deputy Chairman of the EU-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Alexander Stedtfeld, Executive Director of the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as Prof Dr Wilson Tay, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Communication and Law, INTI International University. Topics discussed among these distinguished speakers were, number of graduates vs skills of graduates in Malaysia as well as the importance of vocational trainings for graduates. The discussions were positioned to address issues and challenges of Malaysian graduates today when they venture into the industry as a working professional.
Among the other events organized in TISE were product exhibition by technopreneurs, talks on idea protection, funding sources as well as the “dos and don’ts” when setting up a business in Malaysia. These events were beneficial for both aspiring and experienced technopreneurs in Malaysia providing a platform for sharing and learning. Ideas will only remain as ideas if it can’t be brought to the market in the most effective manner. Most importantly, great ideas could be made into reality with the right support and guidance by the government, industry as well as the academic. With the right strategic alliances, innovative and creative technopreneurs in Malaysia could possibly grow to be independent business owners in the near future.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Jasmine Leong (MSc. in Pharmacology, University of Oxford) is a product specialist in the therapeutic area of cardiology for Eli Lilly (Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur. She can be contacted at jasmine@scientificmalaysian.com. Find out more about Jasmine by visiting her Scientific Malaysian profile: http://www.scientificmalaysian.com/members/jasmineleong/
Xander Chong (MSc. in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Oxford) is an Analyst at PEMANDU, Prime Minister’s Department, Government of Malaysia. Xander can be contacted at xanderchong@scientificmalaysian.com. Find out more about Xander by visiting his Scientific Malaysian profile: http://www.scientificmalaysian.com/members/xanderchong/