Innovation must to stay relevant: Shafie
Published on: Friday, February 07, 2020
By: Ottey Peter
KOTA KINABLU: Innovation allows organisations to stay relevant in the competitive market and it also plays an important role in economic growth, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said with the right information from research and input from various parties, innovators can play an important role to industries, society and the government in the process towards sustainable development.
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He stated that those involved in the education sector be it schools, secondary and higher institutions are inevitably entrusted to be the leading think tank to produce solutions which will eventually make a difference.
“Besides innovation, research also plays a crucial role in the development of a nation in this era of progressive transformation and endless challenges.
“Hence, it is imperative that they adopt a mindset that encourages exploration of novel ideas and out of the box thinking skills when conducting research and innovations,” he said when officiating the Sabah International Virtual Innovation and Invention Competition (Siviic 2019/2020) at the Pacific Sutera Harbour Hotel here, Thursday. His speech was read by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.
State Education and Innovation Minister, Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob and Sabah Branch UiTM Rector, Datuk Dr. Abdul Kadir Rosline were also present.
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Siviic is jointly organised by the Education and Innovation Ministry and Sabah Branch of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). The programme begun October last year.
Shafie said such reputable event is a sign of unity and togetherness by the State Government, educational institutions and business entities in providing a more intellectual, creative, remarkable and outstanding platform for important and meaningful changes to take place, especially here in Sabah.
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“I was made to understand that Siviic’s theme is aptly named ‘Bridging Research, Industry and Society for Sustainable Development’ and it is meant to address the innovation and invention issues that connect these three parties in creating a liveable environment and creative ambience for the future generations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yusof said such programme is the first to be organised in Sabah and aimed to encourage not only locals but also participation from various backgrounds to be creative and innovative in contributing to the development of the country by providing solutions to the industries and improving the quality of lives of the community.
He said Siviic has managed to gather more than 90 projects not only from Sabah but also Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia.
He hopes that those potential projects will be able to market and commercialise their products or ideas.
“We can promote Sabah as an innovation hub and show how the State Government is serious in supporting innovative projects for sustainable development. This is not only convenient for the participants but also facilities the projects to get visibilities.
“I was informed during the evaluation process that there are several projects captured the attention of industries and potential investors to invest in their projects. This is in line with our objectives as we want innovative ideas that can be turned into products or services that can bring benefits to the industries and communities,” he said.
Abdul Kadir said in response to Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), the university took the initiative to digitalised the competition which required participants to submit their videos in compact-discs.
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