CONCERTED EFFORT NEEDED TO BUILD A CULTURE OF INNOVATION, SAYS M'SIAN PM ABDULLAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi Monday wants concerted efforts to be taken to build a culture of innovation among Malaysians.

He said this was important towards realising Malaysia as a developed
nation
and that the culture should be developed at all levels, in schools, higher
education centres, at the workplace and both in urban and rural areas.

"It should be focused in areas where Malaysians are strong at," he told a
press conference after chairing a meeting of the National Innovations Council
and launching Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia (YIM) (Malaysian Innovation Foundation)
at Parliament Monday.

YIM which was incorporated as a foundation on Oct 20, 2008, gained Cabinet
recognition on Nov 7.

Abdullah said among the main objectives of YIM was to encourage and promote
activities pertaining to innovation and getting Malaysians involved in the
matter.
It will also serve as a platform for the interface of scientific and
indigenous/traditional knowledge and assisting in commercialising of innovative
products produced by the grassroots.

Abdullah said efforts were being taken for capacity building where
innovation was concerned but now it needed to be stepped up further so that it
became a culture among Malaysians.

He said two areas where the concerted efforts could begin were in
information and communications technology and biotechnology.

Schools, he said, were where the seeds of innovation could be sown as this
could help produce citizens who were creative.

"We want the habit of curiosity instilled in children and patience to
fulfill this need in them...but now some parents do not have the patience and
tell their children to keep quiet when they want to know about something. This
will stifle their sense of curiosity," he said.