Innovation is focus of official Malaysian visit

"I want to see how the universities here collaborate with industry," Mah says. "This is very important because in Malaysia we want the universities to work closely with industries, especially in innovation and research."

The leader of Malaysia's Gerakan Rakyat (People's Movement) party, Mah is the cabinet minister responsible for the country's Innovation Unit. He says that he hopes to import some of the ways of working that Sweden relies on to foster innovation, as part of Malaysia's drive to increase competitiveness and raise its own standard of living.

"We have a vision that in 2020 we want to be a developed nation that accomplishes social well being, world class educational standards, a progressive society, (and) an economy that is competitive robust and resilient," Mah says.

That means taking steps to ensure that more research from Malaysian universities is commercialized, he says, pointing out that he is impressed with the continuous interaction between KTH and Swedish industries.

Johan Schuber, KTH's director of strategic partnerships, was part of the university delegation that met with Mah. "It was a pleasure to show how KTH is working strategically with society," Schuber says. "We invited both Pontus de Laval, CTO of SAAB, and Gunnar Björkman, director of the City of Stockholm, who both talked about cooperation with KTH. That was really strong.

"We didn't just talk about it. They were there, two of our strategic partners. And that is kind of special. I don't think many universities line up with a program like that."

The significance was apparent to Mah. "KTH is so oriented toward industry," Mah says. "In our country, if you are in the academy you are in the academy. If you are in the private sector, you are in the private sector. And maybe they meet up once in a while, to discuss how to cooperate. But here ... there is interaction throughout the year.

"Big companies actually have researchers and engineers in the universities, and I was informed that the universities also have their researchers, their students, in the companies. They are actually cooperating every day and the spillover is incredible."

Mah says that in order for Malaysia to build closer cooperation between universities, industry and government, the country will also need to adopt Sweden's "mindset".

"I can also see that the Swedish people are very innovation people," he says. "I think it's a mindset. It's the ecosystem ... it goes into all aspects, beyond just industry. In terms of social issues, in terms of coming up with solutions, I can see that you are very adaptable. You welcome change, and you welcome movements and ... new ideas."

Malaysian universities and businesses need more of this flexibility and willingness to embrace change, he says. "We are trying to encourage them ... If you do not move with the changes, you will be left behind."

Mah says Swedish innovation is widely admired in Malaysia, where Ikea is emblematic of the highest standards in innovation. Swedish companies have been involved in a number of technology transfers in Malaysia and many other activities have been planned to continue to bridge the two distant places, he says. "We are going to invite more of your industrial leaders and academics to Malaysia to help us to be a more innovative country.

He says that coming up in October, Swedish companies will host an innovation week in Kuala Lumpur, in cooperation with the Swedish Embassy and SAAB Group.

"And we will be inviting some of your academics and trainers, especially in the field of innovation, to come to Malaysia and give us a talk how it is carried out in Sweden—so our industrialists and universities will also be able to follow.

"We need to sharpen the learning curve," May says. "Just to learn by trial and error takes a longer time."

David Callahan