The Minister of Science, Technology dan Innovation, Dato’ Sri Dr Adham Baba launched the ASM Science Outlook 2020 (SO2020) report on 7 October 2021.
Carrying the theme “Unlocking the Future”, SO2020 is a flagship study of ASM that explores STI progress in Malaysia since the declaration of Vision 2020.
This report probes selected STI-related indicators and the impact of national-level programmes, frameworks, and initiatives for the years 1991 to 2020.
The resulting data is used to identify the strengths and shortfalls of the present STI ecosystem and how the ecosystem can be stimulated to boost Malaysia’s growth into a high-income nation sustainably.
During the virtual launching ceremony, Dato’ Sri Dr Adham Baba said, “Malaysia must adopt Whole-of-Government approach towards developing collaborative strategies for knowledge-intensive, innovation-led outcomes to build a harmonious, prosperous, progressive, and sustainable Malaysia. Strategies to achieve this are presented in the Science Outlook 2020.”
SO2020 is the third instalment to the Science Outlook flagship studies by ASM, which was initiated in 2013 with its first report launched in 2015 titled Science Outlook 2015 – Action Towards Vision (SO2015).
SO2015 is an evidence-based review on key STI trends in Malaysia that was specifically introduced as a yardstick for Malaysia’s performance.
Response to SO2015 indicated the necessity to keep a finger on the pulse of STI trends at the local, regional, and global levels to assess possible future implications.
As a result, a biennial review was proposed. The second review, Science Outlook 2017 – Converging Towards Progressive Malaysia 2050 (SO2017) was launched in 2018.
Eighteen recommendations were proposed in each edition, of which 11 and 10 (from SO2015 and SO2017 respectively) were successfully considered and partially or completely implemented.
The objectives of Science Outlook 2020 are as follows:
- To examine the current and past status of the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) landscape in Malaysia, including the key trends and challenges as well as to address the gaps through evaluation and analysis over the past 29 years (1991-2020).
- To facilitate the harnessing of STI for societal well-being, national development, and global competitiveness.
- To evaluate the progress and development of STI in Malaysia since the inception of Vision 2020. This is done by measuring through select STI-related indicators and evaluating the impact of national-level programmes, frameworks, and initiatives.
SO2020 employed a mixed-method approach to assess Malaysia’s STI ecosystem. The mixed-method research entails using qualitative and quantitative approaches to draw a comprehensive understanding of the industry, public, and the key stakeholders’ perspectives.
Then, this data was used to forecast the nation’s growth trajectory towards becoming a high-income nation by 2030, as encapsulated by the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030).
Read the report here.