ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute will drive Human Capacity Development in South East Asia
2 August 2011, by Mathew Morais
For ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to benefit from globalisation and transform its respective economic status, the region must empower its young people with the right knowledge, experience and skills to take advantage of the many technological changes happening in the realm of digital technology.
For ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to benefit from globalisation and transform its respective economic status, the region must empower its young people with the right knowledge, experience and skills to take advantage of the many technological changes happening in the realm of digital technology.
A step in this direction for the evolution of digital technology in the South East Asia region was established with the launch of the ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute by the Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili, at the Phnom Penh campus of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology recently.
The Minister was in the Kingdom of Cambodia as part of a visit to promote ICT Trade in Indo China. The highlight was the inauguration of the institute, which was witnessed by Cambodian government officials, senior officials from MOSTI and the CEO of Multimedia Super Corridor, Dato’ Badlisham Ghazali and Limkokwing President, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing.
An initiative of Limkokwing University, the Institute is dedicated to applied research in digital technology, run strategic training programmes and to act as a think-tank for ICT-related matters for the ASEAN region.
International think tank
Dr Ongkili is confident the ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute will play a leading role to “assist governments move the human capacity development up the value chain” in South East Asia.
“The institute is designed to embed itself within ASEAN education and training ecosystem and will serve as a collaboration platform between industry and governments that will allow technology transfer, especially of high-end technology and, in addition, it will provide training in critical and creative thinking.
It will also facilitate the incubation of knowledge intensive enterprises needed by governments to stimulate economies to venture into new sectors of wealth creation.”
University, government collaboration
Describing the Institute as “an idea whose time has come”, the Minister envisions “a huge market” not only in digital technology but also in digital education, an area in which Limkokwing University has the expertise to play a leading role through collaboration with governments in the region.
Cambodia is in the midst of development and the establishment of the ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute in Phnom Penh will serve to boost its digital technology and the ICT industry, a role the Limkokwing campus in the Cambodian capital is well-placed to “play a bigger role in terms of maturing relationships and promoting an innovation culture and, of course, the ICT industry as a whole within the Asean family of nations.”
Equipped to accelerate transformation
Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing said Limkokwing is widely acknowledged as the pioneer of innovation and creativity in education and has the necessary tools to help accelerate societal transformation in places where it has a campus.
To date, Limkokwing has twelve campuses in eight countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, and the University has plans to venture further into the African continent later this year and to the United States of America in the near future.
Just like the ASEAN digital institute, the Cyberjaya digital innovation centre is designed to collaborate with the industry and the Higher Education Ministry with the objective of moving education to the next level through university-industry partnership.
The Malaysian Digital Innovation Centre was launched by Higher Education Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin early last month.
Limkokwing Cambodia
The University’s Phnom Penh campus is home to more than 800 students who are being nurtured to become innovative and techno-savvy graduates that Cambodia needs to drive its development process forward.
The campus has some of the most sophisticated computer labs in the country and students have access to the electronic library to assist them in their learning and research objectives.
With the opening of the ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute, Limkokwing is able to extend content creation, training and 21st digital technology to other regions of South East Asia as well.
“In Phnom Penh and the region, we intend to work closely with industry leadership to ensure acceleration in the use of high-end digital technology.”
Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Lim Kok Wing
Speaking at the official launch of ASEAN Digital Innovation Institute, Limkokwing Cambodia, 22 July 2011
About ASEAN
ASEAN is a geo-political and economic organization comprising ten countries, namely: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
The Association was formed on 8 August 1967 with its Secretariat based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Its role is to accelerate the economic growth, social progress, cultural development among the member nations that has a combined population of 600 million people of various races, religions and cultures.
ASEAN has a combined GDP (PPP) of US$3,084 billion, while its per capita income is US$5,131 according to 2010 estimates.