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How Malaysian science can improve lives as well as the economy

Plug the digital divide, improve health care, develop bio-based industries and innovate for Halal industries, urges Asma Ismail.
  1. Asma Ismail

    1. Asma Ismail is the president of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

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Sixty years after independence, Malaysia has the third-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per person of the ten countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has achieved this by shifting from producing cheap goods such as tin, rubber, cocoa, timber and rice to more lucrative commodities including oil, natural gas and palm oil. Science and technology are central to the country’s economic growth strategy. For example, electronic components, petroleum products and petrochemicals, machinery and food are major exports. The government views biotechnology as a means of enhancing prosperity and wellness.

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Nature 558, 514-515 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05509-y

References

  1. Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Envisioning Malaysia 2050: A Foresight Narrative (ASM, 2017).

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  2. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. National Policy on Biological Diversity (MNRE, 2016).

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  3. Academy of Sciences Malaysia. The Emerging Science, Engineering and Technology (ESET) Study as part of the Envisioning Malaysia 2050: A Foresight Narrative (ASM, 2017).

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  4. Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Science Outlook 2017: Converging Towards Progressive Malaysia 2050 (ASM, 2018).

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  5. Thomson Reuters. Outpacing the Mainstream (Thomson Reuters, 2017).

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  6. Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission. Internet Users Survey 2016 Statistical Brief 20 (MCMC, 2016).

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  7. Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission. Industry Performance Report (MCMC, 2016).

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