Initial Thoughts PDF Print E-mail
BY
RUSHDI ABDUL RAHIM
Director
myForesight™
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Talk of the future has never failed to illicit comments from individuals with diverse and marginalizing opinions. This is especially true in the form of things we need to focus on to reach our desired future.

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It has been an interesting quarter for us at myForesight. The past few months saw us presenting our body of work to the global audience during the FTA conference in Seville, Spain; experts and colleagues in Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) as well as participants of a seminar organized by ISTIC-UNESCO. Whereas at the home front, recommendations were being considered, uptakes on the focus areas are made and to be implemented into realizable programmes.


This is particularly true in the case of conversion of palm oil into bio mass energy which is our cover story. The Malaysian Biomass initiative (MBI) is a programme under the Global Science Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) which was announced with much fanfare in New York by our Prime Minister on the 17th of May 2011. Leveraging on global network and expertise, GSIAC will be the platform for Malaysia to tap into the knowledge of world renowned experts in their respective field in the realm on S&T. Suffice to say that the selection of the initiative took stock of the focus areas identified by myForesight.


We have also presented findings that were made during the last National Technology Foresight to the newly formed National Science & Research Council (NSRC). One of the main tasks of the NSRC was to identify and prioritize the focus areas for Malaysia’s R&D activities. Note that the council members pointed out that to prioritize the areas, it must satisfy the following:-


  • Utilization of a well-known framework/model;
  • The process must be transparent;
  • Will be problems or issues based either realized or anticipated;
  • Trans-disciplinary and diverse engagement of stakeholders;
  • Considerations into long term impact and strategies;
  • Considerations of resources and competencies

Foresight anyone? Keep watching this space for more updates on this matter. You will find details on the NSRC.


Talk of the future has never failed to illicit comments from individuals with diverse and marginalizing opinions. This is especially true in the form of things we need to focus on to reach our desired future. Now, it seems that everybody is currently jumping into the PEMANDU ETP NKEA bandwagon. Unfortunately, there are widespread misconceptions that anything that is not part of the NKEA is not worth taking a look. People tend to forget the NKEA are short to medium term focus areas which is intended on trying to achieve our aspirations of being developed nation by 2020. However in envisioning the future, there are other considerations that needs to be taken into account; social & environmental impacts, safety & security etc. It is worth to note that PEMANDU themselves acknowledges the NKEA are not intended to be definitive but serves as a starting point.


Tan Sri Dato Zulkifli’s article on envisioning Asia 2060 describes on the need of taking various factors into account in developing visions of the future.


Through our participation of FTA conference in May, we have managed to widen our network, leverage on the experience of other countries that has also conducted foresight initiatives. Therefore, in this issue, we are providing the Brazilian case study of the challenges in communicating foresight results to decision makers.


For this issue, insights from the industry includes Datuk Abdul Kadir’s piece on the business potential of waste water sector as well as contributions from International Natural Fibre Organization on the future of natural fibre.


As usual, we hope you find the magazine beneficial and thought provoking.


We expect you to have your opinion on certain matters. We want to hear them. We welcome your feedback and contributions.



In any attempt to probe the future, we need a vision. This will steer us through the many unknowns as well as capitalize on hidden opportunities. Such vision has been variously called foresight, strategic foresight or futurology. Within an organisational and national paradigm, foresight is the tool through which the realities of tomorrow are engineered today.

The dilemma in trying to predict, understand as well as react to technological changes of the future, is that there is a need to understand the drivers of change which extend far beyond the domains of science and technology. In undertaking this effort, it is required to include a range of discipline involving the systematic study of science, social science and even the humanities as well as to draw upon the experience of those more directly engaged with the economy and society in industry, government and beyond.