Knowledge Economy

Australia: Budget must ensure innovation isn’t just a flash in the pan

According to CSIRO, Australia will need to retrain six million people to become digitally literate by 2025 if we’re going to have any hope of competing on the international stage and successfully pivoting to a knowledge economy. … Investment in programs that reward and encourage collaboration between the private sector and universities is critical to delivering on the vision of a knowledge economy. … Tomorrow’s budget will set the track for Australia’s shift to the knowledge economy. Rest

UAE: Sheikh Zayed Award winners honoured at Adnec ceremony

Dr Ali bin Tamim, secretary general of Sheikh Zayed Book Award, said the award built on the vision set by the Founding President, who paved the way for the UAE to develop into a knowledge economy. Rest

Korea: Creative economy needs change in culture

As public debate in Korea seeks solutions for building a leading knowledge economy, the debate often mistakenly sidelines the importance of culture. … Unfortunately, this culture does not help Korea accelerate its progress towards achieving a “creative” knowledge economy. The pressure to avoid new paths with new ideas is too intense for most; only to be taken when all other options have been exhausted.

However, countries such as Finland, Israel, and the U.S., have cultures that breed more individuals and organizations that are willing to explore the unknown and to pursue radical innovations; and to become entrepreneurs for opportunity. As a result, these countries have been attracting the capital, creative talent, and professional expertise needed to expand and sustain a leading knowledge economy. Rest

UAE: Cyber warriors needed to protect online security in UAE

Abu Dhabi: Although the UAE’s online security frameworks are very robust, the threat of hacking cannot be ignored as the country strives to become a leading knowledge economy, a top information technology official said in the capital on Sunday. Rest

Pakistan – Government Committed to Transform into KE

WASHINGTON: Pakistan was promoting increased global connectivity through a series of initiatives and the government is committed to transform the country into a knowledge-based economy, Finance Secretary Dr. Waqar Masood Khan said. Speaking at an event the “Global Connect Initiative” at the World Bank, Washington, the Finance Secretary reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to support the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), action lines and targets that were set under the agenda for the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDG).  Rest

Pakistan – Ahsan Iqbal calls upon USA to help

Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Ahsan Iqbal urged that USA should support Pakistan in training of human resource to implement Vision 2025. The government is keen to benefit from the strength of top US universities to train its strategic human resource for transforming Pakistan into a Knowledge Economy. “Pakistan-USA Knowledge Corridor” can become a strong bridge between the two countries. Ahsan Iqbal stated this in a meeting with Evan Ryan, USA Assistant Secretary Education & Cultural Affairs, who called on him at Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform. Rest

Pakistan – Higher Ed: Past, Present and Future – By Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman

Pakistan is grouped in the technologically marginalized and innovation deficient countries in the global rankings. Unless laboratory level research is translated into marketable products, a knowledge economy can’t be promoted.

There are four pillars of progress in knowledge economy; high quality education, science and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship and a governance system that allows merit to prevail and offers quick and fair justice.

In order to build a strong knowledge economy, Pakistan needs to rid itself of the constraints of a natural resource-driven approach to socio-economic development and focus on strengthening the “triple helix” of the knowledge economy.  Rest

Pakistan – Development Minister Visits Pardee School

Minister Ahsan Iqbal is a four-term elected member of Pakistan’s national parliament and a seasoned politician who is also the Deputy Secretary General of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League. A graduate of the Univeristy of Engineering and Technology in Pakistan and then of the Wharton School of Business at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania, he has also served as the country’s Minister of Education in the past and is now the lead cabinet official focusing of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.

Iqbal said that despite Pakistan’s security challenges, the country is “ready for an economic takeoff.” According to him, the key drivers of the country’s bright future prospects are (a) the emergence of a knowledge economy and (b) the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) initiative. He said that the world has begun looking at Pakistan with “a different, and more positive, lens” because Pakistan has shifted its focus from “only the geo-political to also the geo-economic.” Rest

Cuba’s “knowledge economy” – a product of its wealth of skilled university graduates whose technical skills and abilities have been sharpened by material shortages and limitations – provides fertile ground to grow U.S.-Cuban cooperation and enterprise. … Major U.S. tech companies like Google and a host of smaller players are already offering to help Cuba unlock its “knowledge economy”. … Cuba’s close proximity to the United States, its existing knowledge economy, a skilled and prosperous diaspora, and the island’s budding entrepreneurial class are factors that can facilitate such cooperation. Government officials, entrepreneurs, and non-profits can work together to create mutually beneficial “knowledge economies”, drawing on the best of the creative capacity of the brightest and most talented on both sides of the Florida Straits. Rest

The recent $134-billion budget tabled by the Ontario government underscores the province’s ongoing commitment to technology innovation, according to one provincial minister.

Brad Duguid, Scarborough Centre MPP and Ontario Minister of Economic Development said that the future of the province’s economy hinges on technology growth within local start-ups and small- to medium- sized enterprises (SME) and in helping businesses take new technologies to global markets. …

He pointed to the recent announcement that Ontario will invest $22.75 million in the IBM Innovation Incubator (I3) Project, an initiative that sees the province partner with IBM Canada and Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) to help up to 500 SMEs “create jobs, embrace next-generation technologies and compete in the global marketplace.” …

The project will help small and medium enterprises fast-track the launch of new technologies and products to international clients and grow the province’s knowledge economy even further, according to Duguid. Rest

Ahmad bin Byat, the chairman of du, describes how the Internet of Things is coupling up Dubai to a brighter future, and progress is set to rocket.

… Innovation is the primary driver of the knowledge economy and society in general. Driven by entrepreneurship, the private sector will benefit most with, according to the Cisco report, Dh13.6bn forecast in technology deployments, empowering more entrepreneurs to innovate, seize opportunities and become powerful contributors to our growing knowledge economy.  Rest

Govt aims to transform India into knowledge economy with Digital India initiative: Prasad

Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Ravishankar Prasad has said that the government is implementing Digital India programme with a vision to transform India into a digital society and a knowledge economy.

He was addressing a sectoral seminar on opportunities in Electronics and Information Technology during the Make in India Week in Mumbai today. Mr. Prasad said that with the demand of electronic hardware expected to rise rapidly to 400 billion US dollors by 2020, India has the potential to become an electronic manufacturing hub.  Rest

Delhi to hold ‘5th Annual One Globe Knowledge Conference 2016’

New Delhi, Feb 1 : To bring together global thought leaders to discuss 21st century knowledge economy in India and South Asia, fifth annual edition of the ‘One Globe Conference: Uniting Knowledge Communities’ will be hosted specifically to focus on ideas, issues and impact of the Indian government’s ambitious agenda to transform India into a 21st century knowledge economy through its initiatives like Digital India, Make in India, Smart Cities and Entrepreneurship.

… “In our fifth edition of the One Globe conference, we are delighted to have an eminent set of speakers who bring rich perspectives and proven experience in analyzing the multiple components of making a 21st century knowledge economy,” added [Harjiv Singh, Convener, One Globe 2016 and founder and CEO of Salwan Media Ventures].

David Plouffe, Chief Advisor, Uber Inc., who is widely referred to as the architect of President Obama’s two presidential campaign victories and has served as a Senior Advisor to the President, will participate in an exclusive armchair discussion at a dinner hosted by the One Globe conference and the USIBC ahead of the conference.

Connectivity to Propel Kuwait’s Knowledge Economy Forward

Kuwait – In today’s knowledge-based economy, the advancement of Kuwait’s information and communication technologies (ICT) sector will help to accelerate the government’s agenda for greater economic productivity, global competitiveness, and enhancing the well-being of its citizens, according to executives from Huawei Kuwait.

The company recently joined leaders from Kuwait’s public and private sectors to examine new ways in which the digitization of city systems and businesses will be able to foster national socio-economic development in the years ahead. Such discussions were at the forefront of the recently concluded national conference on “Contemporary Roles of Governments in the Knowledge Economy Era”, organized by the Kuwait National Project for Knowledge Economy (NPKE) and held under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait.

“Twenty five American CEOs and business leaders came to Riyadh this week to meet with their counterparts from Saudi companies for this landmark event,” said Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “To support the Kingdom’s ambitious economic development and diversification plans, our business communities have come together to grow U.S.-Saudi trade and investment and to promote economic growth and job creation.”

The CEO Summit’s agenda is structured around economic and commercial topics of mutual interest.  Topics include advancing a more closely integrated U.S.-Saudi supply chain, boosting workforce productivity, improving the business environment, and supporting Saudi’s vision of developing a knowledge-based economy.  The Summit lays the foundation for CEOs to convey more deeply informed views to both governments and to help strengthen bilateral relations. Rest

EBRD President leads team to Davos talks

… The theme of the 2016 Davos conference is the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”. The EBRD supports economic progress in its regions by helping economies rise up the technological value chain. The Bank’s Knowledge Economy Initiative aims to use the knowledge economy to boost productivity and competitiveness by improving the business environment for innovation.

Claflin University Establishes Partnership With University of Calcutta To Promote Eco-friendly Entrepreneurship Development Among Women in West Bengal, India

Plunging loonie could be boon for startups seeking venture capital

“We have to look at what our response is to the low dollar as the world moves towards a knowledge economy and an innovation economy,” [Paul Salvini, who heads the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, Ont.] said.

UAE Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri has said … The UAE is also aiming to scale down the share of hydrocarbon revenues in its economy by 20 per cent by 2025. Oil receipts accounted for 30 per cent in 2014. … As part of a drive to diversify the economy away from oil, the UAE targets increased economic contribution from SMEs – a sector that accounted for 60 per cent of the UAE’s non-oil GDP in 2014. The government seeks to raise the figure to 70 per cent by 2021. The UAE also aims to see a five per cent contribution by 2021 from the innovation sector.

“We admit that there are other countries that excelled in fields of innovation and knowledge and we are in talks with countries in North America, Europe and Asia about collaborations in order to boost our knowledge economy,” he said, adding that the UAE has invested over Dh300 billion in the fields of knowledge and innovation. Rest

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has stressed the need for promotion of knowledge based economy that is a must to tackle the economic issues being faced by the country. The LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad and Vice President Nasir Saeed said that promotion of research culture will also help overcome various internal issues like decline in exports, energy crisis, lowest tax-to-GDP ratio, inefficiency of Public Sector Entities, brain-drain, shortage of skilled human resources and low industrial production etc. The LCCI President said that lack of knowledge and research is one of the biggest reasons of our economic ills. Rest