Embracing new technology is the way forward

By Cheranka Mendis

The way forward for Sri Lanka is to embrace the new wave of technology which is nanotechnology and to create high tech value added industries which will give the country the necessary boost to come out of the current ‘rut’.

Senior Minister for Scientific Affairs Prof. Tissa Vitarana yesterday acknowledged that the country must focus on research and development in science, technology and innovation to “come out of our present rut” being a country that is still relatively underdeveloped and poor.

Speaking at the opening at the twoday  Employer’s Symposium on ‘Harnessing Innovation for Organisational Sustainability’ organised by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Prof. Vitarana stated that the extent in which the country shifts from its present state of being an underdeveloped nation to a rich developed country through rapid economic development would determine how soon the country can escape the disasters beset from the current position. This, he said, requires keen focus on innovation and technology.

“Sri Lanka is today part of the global market and if we are to succeed we need to have a developed science, technology, and innovation, which are world class.”

He noted that with the wave of industrial revolution which benefited primarily Europe and America, to the waves of electronics and ICT which pushed forward Japan, Korea, and China, the new wave of nanotechnology and other advanced technologies have added high value to the raw materials creating products that are in demand in the global market.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), which was created on a public private partnership to explore such opportunities, is now in a transitional phase and has been successful thus far. “The success carries an important message,” Vitarana said.

“With Mahesh Amalean as Chairman in a period of eight months we set up a world class laboratory complex. The next challenge was getting our academics, the scientists who are used to leisurely research according to their fancies to focus on targeted research.”

Partnering companies is said to have come up with two targets for research each. SLINTEC has 43 Sri Lankan scientists working on the projects. “They responded magnificently and have produced world class research. With these we will be able to develop value added industries to the market.”

Currently only 1.5% of Sri Lankan exports are high tech while in Japan it is over 85%, Korea over 70%, Malaysia over 50% and Thailand reaching 27% two years ago.

“Even the garment industry is a low tech industry. This means for the investment, the return we get is limited, the generation of jobs is low paid jobs – we must emerge from that and become a purveyor of high tech industrial products – that is the path we must follow.”

Sri Lanka certainly has the capacity to pull through, Vitarana asserted. With a high literacy rate, and being highly innovative, and enterprising people, “perhaps a little too individualistic,” locals can work together as a team to forge ahead.

Research must be purposeful and research must lead from the laboratory bench to commercial stage where new products which are better in quality or cheaper in price are produced to capture the market. This needs continual innovation.

The Government is currently working on setting up a coordinating and monitoring platform that will maximise the harnessing of the limited scientific resources Sri Lanka has towards purposeful development of the economy.

“Even though we had a big fight to get the adequate funding from the budget, I am sure once we set up the mechanism we will be able to identify the raw materials we have, the raw materials that are being exported and find ways for high value addition.”

Vitarana stated that value chains worldwide will be studied to identify the niche areas and build coordination with the industry and scientific community to gain the maximum benefit in financial terms.

He reminded that the Government is giving incentives 300% tax exemptions for research. “There are many shortcomings and problems which need to be corrected. Let us examine them and constructively work towards addressing them. As Singapore has done in the past, we too can forge ahead in this line,” Vitarana said.

Speaking on ‘Harnessing Innovation for Organisational Sustainability’ which was also the theme of the event, Management Wise (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Chairman and Managing Consultant Ong Teong Wan stated that the buzzwords of the industry has shifted from the likes of reinventing the organisation, creative thinking, lateral thinking, paradigm shifts, Sigmoid curves to innovation as a competitive advantage.

“Innovation for me is a derivative of creative, breakthrough thinking,” Wan said. Expressing that all processors have a cyclical nature, he acknowledged that innovation must be injected to the growth curve before it downslides.

“The Sigmoid Curve notes that the optimal time to interrupt the curve is before it reaches its peak. However how many will break the cycle when everything is going well and they are enjoying a cushy job.” Interrupting a decline with innovation is a key to achieve sustainability in an organisation.

Showcasing Singapore as an example, where the Government brought in manufacturing and multinationals to support the country after the British pulled away post independence, he observed that the country went on bringing in new and innovative steps to the country such as oil refining, making it a financial centre, bringing in tourism and integrated resorts and SME development, etc., to keep the momentum going. “Sustainability means change, innovate, reposition while the going is good. You interrupt the S-Curve before it reaches the peak as this is when you have ample resources and momentum to help ride the next curve before the downslide occurs,” Wan said.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the thinking process to recognise and challenge assumptions to move to the next level. “Ideas too have a life circle. The idea will germinate, mature, decay and become obsolete. We must constantly look for new ideas to solve problems. This will be the way of life.” Continual innovation is one way of protecting the intellectual property as well, he asserted.

Wan said: “Often innovations are plagued with risks and those who are willing to face them and move forward will win.”

Pix by Lasantha Kumara