Concept
The 2020 Annual Report carries the 25th Anniversary logo on its cover page with a silver background to signify ASM’s Silver Jubilee year. The silver tone here also strongly resonates with the concept of modern technology at play throughout the year. We worked, studied and communicated with each other using our devices and gadgets.
The die-cut number 25 allows us to peep into the next page where we can see Fellows online during the Annual General Meeting, a milestone in the history of the Academy as we received the highest number of participation in 25 years. The tagline, “Leading Collaboration in Science” cannot be more apt as we could not have pulled off the year 2020 working alone. We partnered and worked alongside people, organisations and counterparts from across the globe to achieve our goals, vision and mission.
©Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Written and designed by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia
WHO WE ARE
ASM strives to be the nation’s Thought Leader for matters related to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
ASM is committed to pursuing excellence in the fields of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) for the benefit of all.
WHAT WE DO
ASM supports good science by endorsing activities of highest fulfilment to promote engagement, understanding and literacy in science, technology and innovation.
Taking science outside its box is often a delightful journey that leads us to interesting new directions filled with various types of engagements with people. At the end of the day, it is ASM’s commitment to enhance the scientific capacity of the country.
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FLAGSHIP STI STRATEGIC STUDIES & POLICY ADVISORY
Advisory Reports & Position Papers | Roadmap & Blueprint Development | Futures Thinking & Foresighting | National / Sectoral Policy | Review & Formulation | STI Due Diligence & Decision Intelligence | Rapid Response on Matters of National & International Importance
INITIATIVES & PARTNERSHIPS
Expert-driven Studies | Science Communication, Enculturation & Engagements | STI Capacity Building | Awards, Grants and Recognitions | STI Strategic Linkages
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
National Member in SCA, AASSA, IAP, APEC, ASEAN, TWAS | Young Scientists Programmes – CERN & Lindau | Bidding International Grants – ASEAN & APEC
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Publications | ASM Science Journal | Corporate Communication | Public Relations | Media Engagements | Curation & Visualisation of Data
PILOT PROJECTS
i-Connect – Malaysian Collaborative Network for Innovation | Malaysia Open Science Platform (MOSP)
Dear Readers,
Thriving amidst uncertainty
Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail FASc
Turning 25 was definitely a momentous moment for the Academy, especially when considering that the month of February 2020 was the calm before the storm; the last “normal” month for the world before civilisation was turned on its head.
As one of the youngest Academy of Sciences in the world, we certainly lived up to our age. We wholeheartedly embraced going virtual and have actually been able to thrive in the digital space as we have been involved in more activities to advance the sciences- be it local, regional or global- in the age of COVID-19.
As thought leaders in the sciences, many of our Fellows have risen to the occasion; sharing their insights to ensure that fact-based decisions are made in the age of complete uncertainty as our counterparts around the world threw out convention and collaborated to provide solutions for this pandemic. In addition to this, the Academy had set up a Special Interest Group (SIG) on COVID-19 whose members consist of Fellows and members of the Young Scientists Network- Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM) who authored close to 10 factsheets on the virus.
The close of the year definitely brought about good news thanks to that collaborative spirit. However, we; as Fellows; need to continue ensuring that fact-based information is disseminated and play an active part to quell misinformation in this digital age.
Within the national arena, we have achieved a number of firsts. Our virtual annual general meeting this year, the first for the Academy, saw nearly 50% of our Fellows join the meeting, the highest attendance to date. It was a meeting filled with warm moments as old friends caught up and endeavoured to fulfil the needs of the Academy. Recognising the urgent need to pivot our approach to organising events, we moved online, which has proved to be a beneficial move. Our virtual engagements have been well-received, with a total reach of over 271,000 views for the 25 webinars that were conducted over the last nine months of 2020.
We also took our signature event, the National Science Challenge virtually. The Virtual National Science Challenge (VNSC), which was themed “Towards a Pandemic-resilient Community Through Science”, drew the participation of 1,027 teams. The aspiration behind the theme was to enable the youth to comprehend the full impact of the pandemic and assist with sparking new ideas in the fight against the virus.
VNSC is run by our able Young Scientists Network (YSN-ASM) who also set new standards in their other endeavours in 2020. One of the main programmes organised under Minggu Sains Negara 2020 is the YSN-ASM Science Café. For the year 2020, there were a total of 11 sessions, which took place both physically (pre MCO) and virtually (during MCO and CMCO). The nine virtual sessions had a record of over 25,000 views, which is impressive.
Another first for the Academy, in keeping with the line of thought that the future is about the convergence of knowledge, is the introduction of the ASM ArtScience Initiative. The ArtScience Initiative, introduced at the end of 2019, is an example of the harmonisation sciences & arts. We received close to 60 submissions which will be exhibited virtually in June 2021.
Read MoreWe have also achieved another first in that a brainchild of the Academy, the 10-10 Malaysian Science, Technology, Innovation and Economic (MySTIE) Framework that has been adopted at the national level. This is one of the efforts that will enable the Academy to strengthen its position at the highest level in the nation and has enabled for the impact that science, technology and innovation have on the economy to be recognised. This has led to the birth of a new area- STIE which links the science, technology, innovation sector and the economic sector.
Thank you to all the Fellows who have played a part to the Academy’s efforts to advancing the sciences in the community. We appreciate all your contributions; be it in terms of time or financial contributions; in making our activities more mainstreamed and far-reaching in its impact.
Here’s to a more successful decade ahead.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
- PROFESSOR DATUK DR ASMA ISMAIL FASc
President (2019-2022) - PROFESSOR DATO’ IR DR A. BAKAR JAAFAR FASc
Vice-President (2020-2022) - DATUK PROFESSOR DR AWG BULGIBA AWG MAHMUD FASc
Secretary General (2019-2021) - DATUK DR ABDUL RAZAK MOHD ALI FASc
Honorary Treasurer (2019-2021)
ORDINARY COUNCIL MEMBERS (2020-2021)
- PROFESSOR DATO’ DR AHMAD IBRAHIM FASc
- PROFESSOR DR AHMAD ISMAIL FASc
- ACADEMICIAN TAN SRI DATO’ IR TS AHMAD ZAIDEE LAIDIN FASc
- PROFESSOR DATIN PADUKA SETIA DATO’ DR AINI IDERIS FASc
- ACADEMICIAN PROFESSOR DATO’ DR KHAIRUL ANUAR ABDULLAH FASc
- IR TS CHOO KOK BENG FASc
- DR HELEN NAIR FASc
- ACADEMICIAN EMERITUS PROFESSOR DATO’ DR KHALID YUSOFF FASc
- PROFESSOR DATIN PADUKA DR KHATIJAH MOHD YUSOFF FASc
- EMERITUS PROFESSOR DR PHANG SIEW MOI FASc
- PROFESSOR DR SHAMALA DEVI K.C. SEKARAN FASc
- PROFESSOR DR YVONNE LIM AI LIAN FASc
Strategic Input for Robust STI Ecosystems
Get to know more
Trailblazing the Way of Prosperity, Societal Well-Being & Global Competitiveness
10-10 MySTIE Framework
The role of science, technology and innovation (STI) is critical for economic development and has a fundamental influence on societal development. Recognising this, ASM developed the 10-10 Malaysian Science, Technology, Innovation and Economic (MySTIE) Framework by integrating 10 key Malaysian socio-economic drivers with 10 global leading science and technology (S&T) drivers that align to Malaysia’s strengths and needs.
Position Paper
Precision Medicine Initiative in Malaysia
The position paper was presented to the Deputy Director-General of Health (Research and Technical Support), Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim in November 2020, to gather the viewpoints and support of the Ministry of Health (MOH). MOH recognised the need for a national plan to better manage patient care by capitalising on each other’s strength. The success of this meeting allowed ASM findings to be incorporated in a joint paper, which was presented by MOH to the High-Tech Nation Council (HTNC) chaired by the Minister of MOSTI, YB Khairy Jamaluddin in December 2020.
Science Outlook
Science Outlook 2020 (SO2020) follows the Science Outlook 2015 and Outlook 2017 editions. SO2020 explores the progress and development of Malaysia’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem since 1991, the year which coincided with the declaration of Vision 2020. SO2020 investigates the STI ecosystem and its impact over the last 30 years on the dimensions of economy, society and the environment.
The past two reports have garnered much attention, and over 50% of its recommendations have been taken up by relevant stakeholders. The online version of both reports have recorded about 100,000 impressions, with SO2020 also anticipated to gain similar traction across stakeholders from the Government, industry, the scientific community and civil society groups.
Review / Feedback on Policies / Plans / Cabinet Papers
Focus Point for STI solutions and interventions to the Government
ASM, in its role as a Thought Leader in STI for the nation, fulfilled its commitments through various platforms to provide evidence-based strategic interventions and recommendations to the government.
