GSIF09 SUMMARIES
Plenary 8: Catalysing Collaborative Innovations for a Better World Saturday, 3 October • Elim Chew • Adrian David Cheok • Lim Chu Chong • Judy Ho • Andrew Wilson Moderated by • Augustine Anthuvan To bring about the betterment of the world, there has to be active steps taken towards engaging corporations, influencing government policies and educating the masses. The skills and talents of engineers and scientists have to be tapped into as inventions have great impacts on the state of living. Especially in today’s world, technology acts as an enabling tool to connect people together on a global scale. With the Internet comes a huge rise in information. Now, there is a need to go onto the next level beyond just sharing information but sharing experiences, too. It is imperative, too, that we adopt the mentality of “head in the sky, feet in the mud”. Social entrepreneurs have to work closely with the communities and give them incentives to protect their own livelihoods. Banks also have a key role to play in collaboration, and DBS shared how it advises NGOs on how to take up loans as well as drawing on real case studies. Financial institutions must also be more inclusive, and one way of achieving is by looking into micro financing. NGOs also have to realize that their sector will have to operate like a free market to thrive. Competition is imperative. The valuation of research done by academics has to be reconsidered. Rather than being focused on merely academic papers to validate their research, think tanks have to also create inventions that can have larger impacts. Therefore, paradigm shifts need to happen as well as realignment of purpose. In addition, collaborations must be win-win situations. The panel concluded by highlighting how young people also play an instrumental role in making fundamental changes. As one panelist pointed out, “the crazier the ideas, the better” .Creativity must act as a bootstrap for the society.
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