Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)
Towards a university of research
University of research: Dr Tong Chee Kiong from the National University of Singapore (NUS) speaking during the public lecture. Picture: BT/Nasroul Hizam
Nasroul Hizam
BRUNEI-MUARA
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
EDUCATIONAL institutions have not turned away from the possibility of collaborating with both the public and private sectors to develop partnerships. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday held a public lecture entitled "Towards a University of Research and Enterprise" to showcase strategies necessary for the success of such partnerships.
The lecture was conducted by Professor Dr Tong Chee Kiong, a professor of graduate studies at the Department of Sociology in the National University of Singapore.
Dr Tong began with identifying the attitude of leading public universities which included an emphasis on graduate research education and successful spin-off companies.
Focusing on the issue of research, he recommended that institutions identify key strengths and research foci of their faculties to identify opportunities available. It is also important to have targets within the nation's own goals and interests, he added.
He shared a method where research "cocooning" involves the pooling together of experts, talented students and drawing expertise from graduates to obtain a nucleus of particular areas after a period of time.
He also mentioned that educational institutions should focus their research in areas of current strategic importance such as life sciences, sustainable development and biodiversity, environment and water technologies, interactive and digital media as well as asian studies.
Although infrastructure is important, he stressed that people are needed for any changes to take place particularly the promotion of multi-disciplinary initiatives which would add both scientific and commercial value to the institution.
In doing so, an institution's value needs to be made more aware with increased research output of its staff. The university itself needs to create time and support for their staff to produce journals, books and deliver conference papers. This would also raise the international reputation of its staff.
To add onto the expertise within the institution, it would also need to recruit talent to complement the research initiatives of the faculties. He said that over time, the research culture will develop and continue to attract more researchers and talented students.
In today's knowledge-based economies, universities are described as one of the engines of public growth. Dr Tong suggested that universities start inviting successful CEOs or alumni members to speak to students in order to inspire them so that they may have someone to look up to.
Another way to be enterprising is to cultivate a desire for innovation so that the institution would become a centre for both entrepreneurship and innovation. With that, the university can go on to start up incubators or spin-off companies run by the staff, graduates and alumni members. Ultimately, the institution can then develop global partnerships in both research and enterprise. Dr Tong commented that linking with other institutions will help to shorten the learning curve and save time.
However, the basic foundation still lies in the marketing of high quality and quantity of graduates. Dr Tong suggested that the increase of the international student population will lead to a cosmopolitan vibrancy. He added that students do not just learn from their lecturers but also from one another, so UBD could benefit from a greater pool of students from other asian countries and even Australia.
According to the professor, undergraduates should also be educated with skills and values such as critical and creative thinking, communication skills as well as character-building.
With regards to inter-disciplinary programmes, Dr Tong recommended that students specialise in their chosen fields, learn across their disciplines and extend their learning to the knowledge of ideas. If successful, it would open up institutions to joint-degree programmes based on the country's needs and the reality of situations.
Lecturers and staff of UBD were joined in the lecture by visitors from Institut Teknologi Brunei, Seri Begawan Religious Teaching College Universiti, Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
Also present were the Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education Hj Daud Hj Mahmud and UBD Vice-Chancellor Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi.
Another issue Dr Tong highlighted was the need to keep curriculum up to date and relevant as knowledge changes very fast.
Saying that a national or public university should have the mission of being in pursuit of excellence in research, enterprise and education, Dr Tong said that a university can distinguish itself from other institutions by evaluating its own needs and carefully operating according to the university's context.
Dr Hj Zulkarnain later commented that he was pleased to have a visitor from a friendly neighbouring country to share strategies and insights into improving Brunei's educational institutions of higher learning. He admitted that people are constantly talking about how to go to the next level through research. He said lecturers should not just undertake research but also demonstrate to their students exactly how important research is.The Brunei Times
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http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/home_news/2008/09/16/towards_a_university_of_research
Showing posts with label knowledge based economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knowledge based economy. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Steady decline in oil-rich Brunei's per capita income
Steady decline in oil-rich Brunei's per capita income
SINGAPORE
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Slow fall prompts govt to invest more in education and technology
A STEADY decline in Brunei's per capita income has highlighted the need to make investments beyond its oil and gas resources, a senior economic official from the sultanate said yesterday.
The slow fall in per capita income has prompted the government to step up its investment in education and technology, said Timothy Ong, acting chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board.
Brunei was probably the wealthiest country in the world in 1980 in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, he said at a forum in Singapore.
While Brunei remains a wealthy country, it has slipped considerably to rank 34th worldwide in terms of per capita income, Ong said at the forum organised by the London School of Economics.
The World Trade Organisation, in a recent report, put Brunei's income per capita at US$30,000 ($41,000), still one of the highest in Asia. Brunei has a population of fewer than 400,000 citizens.
"Despite our abundance of natural resources which have made us, in per capita terms, probably one of the largest exporters of crude oil in the world and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas... we have experienced over the last decade or more a slow but steady decline in per capita income," Ong said.
This prompted His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to launch a long-term economic plan aimed at putting the country in the top 10 in terms of income per capita and quality of life by 2035, Ong said.
The plan, called Vision 2035, was an acknowledgement "of the importance of knowledge and innovation as the basis for sustainable economic growth", he said.
It was also in recognition "of the fact that natural resources itself cannot assure a sustainable economic future," he added.
Ong said that while Asia has recovered from a financial crisis that struck 10 years ago, the region needs to narrow economic and social disparities which remain, and in some cases, have widened.
"The evidence suggests that the future lies with those Asian societies most able to acquire and apply knowledge, most nurturing of creativity and innovation (and) most able to retain and nurture talented human resources," he said.
Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Malaysia, and the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas, according to the Brunei Yearbook 2007, which says reserves are expected to last for at least two more decades based on current production rates.
AFP
SINGAPORE
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Slow fall prompts govt to invest more in education and technology
A STEADY decline in Brunei's per capita income has highlighted the need to make investments beyond its oil and gas resources, a senior economic official from the sultanate said yesterday.
The slow fall in per capita income has prompted the government to step up its investment in education and technology, said Timothy Ong, acting chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board.
Brunei was probably the wealthiest country in the world in 1980 in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, he said at a forum in Singapore.
While Brunei remains a wealthy country, it has slipped considerably to rank 34th worldwide in terms of per capita income, Ong said at the forum organised by the London School of Economics.
The World Trade Organisation, in a recent report, put Brunei's income per capita at US$30,000 ($41,000), still one of the highest in Asia. Brunei has a population of fewer than 400,000 citizens.
"Despite our abundance of natural resources which have made us, in per capita terms, probably one of the largest exporters of crude oil in the world and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas... we have experienced over the last decade or more a slow but steady decline in per capita income," Ong said.
This prompted His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to launch a long-term economic plan aimed at putting the country in the top 10 in terms of income per capita and quality of life by 2035, Ong said.
The plan, called Vision 2035, was an acknowledgement "of the importance of knowledge and innovation as the basis for sustainable economic growth", he said.
It was also in recognition "of the fact that natural resources itself cannot assure a sustainable economic future," he added.
Ong said that while Asia has recovered from a financial crisis that struck 10 years ago, the region needs to narrow economic and social disparities which remain, and in some cases, have widened.
"The evidence suggests that the future lies with those Asian societies most able to acquire and apply knowledge, most nurturing of creativity and innovation (and) most able to retain and nurture talented human resources," he said.
Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Malaysia, and the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas, according to the Brunei Yearbook 2007, which says reserves are expected to last for at least two more decades based on current production rates.
AFP
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Skills development, private-public partnership vital for Brunei ICT growth
Skills development, private-public partnership vital for Brunei ICT growth
SOBRINA ROSLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
BRUNEI's ICT industry is foreseen to grow further during the next few years, subject to proper collaboration efforts, local companies initiative to expand and the nurturing of local ICT skills and expertise.
At a dialogue session between the Prime Minister's Office and the local ICT industry held yesterday,
Pengiran DP Ismail Mohamed, permanent secretary of the Prime Minister's Office told The Brunei Times that though local ICT companies could build upon opportunities offered through the E-government initiative, companies need to also play a role and be more proactive in achieving growth through other areas.
"The prospect of Brunei's ICT industry looks good for the next 3 to 5 years...however the companies must not only look for projects on the government sector alone.They must also be proactive in terms of positioning themselves outside the government industry as well as outside Brunei," he said.
By going regional or even international, they would enrich their experiences and knowledge.
"Companies which are proactive can position themselves in any environment in the competitive world...what is important is the self-motivation and an urge to grow and prosper," he added.
He highlighted government initiative to support local ICT companies such as through the Ministry of Industry, Primary and Resources (MIPR) and the i-Centre of the Brunei Economic Development Board but reminded that such services only provide basic fundamentals and knowledge and that ICT is up to the companies to strive.
Human resources in the field of ICT is also an area of concern for Brunei and efforts are being made to address the issue.
Pengiran Mohammad Pg Kamaluddin, chairman of InfoCom Federation Brunei(IFB) said that non-profit organisation can have a role in developing human resources.
"The main challenge is how they want to implement ICT infrastructure and the human resources development, human resource development covers many areas from specialised skills set to end users at a globally accepted scale...because there is quite a large number to cover, IFB can only play a role in development of specialised ICT skills as well as general ICT end users" he said.
Haslina Taib, the chief financial officer at BAG Networks stressed the need for the continuous training of Brunei's graduates within and outside the country.
"They can be exposed to other management skills and business processes in a different environment, you do need to keep educating and training these human resources," she said.
She said dialogues sessions between relevant agencies and the local ICT industry are very important.
The Brunei Times
SOBRINA ROSLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
BRUNEI's ICT industry is foreseen to grow further during the next few years, subject to proper collaboration efforts, local companies initiative to expand and the nurturing of local ICT skills and expertise.
At a dialogue session between the Prime Minister's Office and the local ICT industry held yesterday,
Pengiran DP Ismail Mohamed, permanent secretary of the Prime Minister's Office told The Brunei Times that though local ICT companies could build upon opportunities offered through the E-government initiative, companies need to also play a role and be more proactive in achieving growth through other areas.
"The prospect of Brunei's ICT industry looks good for the next 3 to 5 years...however the companies must not only look for projects on the government sector alone.They must also be proactive in terms of positioning themselves outside the government industry as well as outside Brunei," he said.
By going regional or even international, they would enrich their experiences and knowledge.
"Companies which are proactive can position themselves in any environment in the competitive world...what is important is the self-motivation and an urge to grow and prosper," he added.
He highlighted government initiative to support local ICT companies such as through the Ministry of Industry, Primary and Resources (MIPR) and the i-Centre of the Brunei Economic Development Board but reminded that such services only provide basic fundamentals and knowledge and that ICT is up to the companies to strive.
Human resources in the field of ICT is also an area of concern for Brunei and efforts are being made to address the issue.
Pengiran Mohammad Pg Kamaluddin, chairman of InfoCom Federation Brunei(IFB) said that non-profit organisation can have a role in developing human resources.
"The main challenge is how they want to implement ICT infrastructure and the human resources development, human resource development covers many areas from specialised skills set to end users at a globally accepted scale...because there is quite a large number to cover, IFB can only play a role in development of specialised ICT skills as well as general ICT end users" he said.
Haslina Taib, the chief financial officer at BAG Networks stressed the need for the continuous training of Brunei's graduates within and outside the country.
"They can be exposed to other management skills and business processes in a different environment, you do need to keep educating and training these human resources," she said.
She said dialogues sessions between relevant agencies and the local ICT industry are very important.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Human capital critical to growth
Human capital critical to growth
Ryokichi Hirono: Human capital is important. Picture: Husin Ismail
Saturday, March 17, 2007
BRUNEI must further invest in human capital and exploit ideas including those put forward by young people, an Economics professor from Japan said yesterday.
Speaking to The Brunei Times, Ryokichi Hirono, professor emeritus in Economics of Seikei University, said, "If young people have good ideas, this can be exploited. Government must take up the leadership, exploit these ideas."
He cited as an example Japan which has invested a lot of money in human capital, and this has led to its rise as one of the most advanced countries.
People in Japan have developed all kinds of industries said Hirono, who was one of the speakers at the recent forum on Perspectives on Implementation Strategies for National Development Policies organised by the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies.
Investments in human capital is important, he said, noting that an educated workforce is critical to surviving the global competition.
At the moment, the country is rich with natural resources, and the country is "being run okay", but Bruneians must prepare themselves for sustained economic growth and this is achieved through effective policies.
In a government, there are many types of policies which can lead to development of sectors which range from tourism to agriculture.
However, in some cases "policies are made but not implemented. They are easy to make but harder to implement. Countries in Southeast Asia have beautiful policies but they are not implemented," said the Japanese professor.
The Brunei Times
Ryokichi Hirono: Human capital is important. Picture: Husin Ismail
Saturday, March 17, 2007
BRUNEI must further invest in human capital and exploit ideas including those put forward by young people, an Economics professor from Japan said yesterday.
Speaking to The Brunei Times, Ryokichi Hirono, professor emeritus in Economics of Seikei University, said, "If young people have good ideas, this can be exploited. Government must take up the leadership, exploit these ideas."
He cited as an example Japan which has invested a lot of money in human capital, and this has led to its rise as one of the most advanced countries.
People in Japan have developed all kinds of industries said Hirono, who was one of the speakers at the recent forum on Perspectives on Implementation Strategies for National Development Policies organised by the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies.
Investments in human capital is important, he said, noting that an educated workforce is critical to surviving the global competition.
At the moment, the country is rich with natural resources, and the country is "being run okay", but Bruneians must prepare themselves for sustained economic growth and this is achieved through effective policies.
In a government, there are many types of policies which can lead to development of sectors which range from tourism to agriculture.
However, in some cases "policies are made but not implemented. They are easy to make but harder to implement. Countries in Southeast Asia have beautiful policies but they are not implemented," said the Japanese professor.
The Brunei Times
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