11th APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) Meeting

APEC’s Policy Partnership for Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) envisions that the APEC region will have achieved innovative economic growth by 2025, as outlined in its Strategic Plan for 2016-2025.

The partnership was formed in 2012, with a mission to “support the development of science and technology cooperation as well as effective science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations in APEC through collaboration between government, academia, private sector and other APEC fora.”

The 11th APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI) Meeting was held in Papua New Guinea from 26 to 28 February. Christin Kjelland from the U.S. Department of State chaired this Meeting. Two ASM Officers represented the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) at this meeting.

The 2018 Meeting carried the theme of embracing digital technologies for inclusive and sustainable development to foster smart living and healthy aging; promote S&T-focused entrepreneurship among women; and catalyse data sharing for economic resilience.

Malaysia chaired the sub-group meeting for Parallel 1: Building Science Capacity, with People’s Republic of China (PRC) acting as the Vice Chair. In this session, progress on the endorsed key projects and Centres have been presented to the sub-group economies. Various ideas were also discussed for policy recommendations; topics and events have been identified for knowledge partners to engage in.

At the end of the sub-group meeting, it can be concluded the encouraging outcomes (completed projects) or targeted outcomes (on-going projects) are as follows:

- Alignment to PPSTI themes;

- Private sector involvement;

- Cross-fora collaboration; and

- Policy recommendations.

It was also found that the PPSTI Policy Statement on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) communication was one of the achievements in science capacity building that was commended in APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in 2017.

In addition to the sub-group meetings, the 2018 PPSTI Meeting also includes discussions by various working groups to enhance cross-fora/organisation collaboration; presentation on new PPSTI concepts based on the 2018 theme; and workshops such as the APEC Research and Technology (ART) Workshop and Foster International Technology Transfer (IFF) Professionals Workshop.