Driving Innovation For Growth
On May 18, BSA successfully organized its 2nd Regional Innovation Forum in Bangkok. The closed-door Forum facilitated a thoughtful dialogue for about 75 senior regional government and international officials, industry leaders and visionaries on the drivers for innovation and growth in the industry.
Supported by Thailand’s Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), the Forum hosted 17 speakers from Asia, Australia and Europe. The participants who attended included government representatives at the Deputy Minister, Senior Advisor to Minister, Director-General, and Director levels. This highly interactive discussion provided a unique platform for experts to deliberate issues on technology policy and its effects on driving or hampering innovation, with a view to understanding how to develop sound policies and strategies to bolster future growth and innovation in markets around the region.
The Forum focused on two main themes: public policy and growth of the software industry, as well how as technology convergence and standards can be leveraged to drive e-Government.
With input from key influencers in the industry, delegates recognized the need for governments in the region to move away from adopting software procurement preference policies, and to focus on promoting innovation instead. The consensus was that when governments remain technologically neutral, a healthy marketplace develops, allowing for the evolution of better products, services and wider consumer choice.
The Forum also examined the demand for ‘anytime anywhere’ technology services, content and communication brought about through technological standards and interoperability. Delegates recognized that interoperability is a key factor in empowering people with seamless e-government services, allowing for greater technology choice and thus, innovation and economic growth.
The perspectives and examples offered by international experts reflected the importance of having an understanding of standards and interoperability issues to the cultivation of a vibrant marketplace and effective e-government services.
The Regional Innovation Forum 2006 has received positive feedback from the officials who attended, indicating the usefulness and relevance of the Forum to their policy work and strategy planning. Various speakers have expressed appreciation to BSA for organizing this Forum which they found to be a useful venue for a healthy exchange of views and update on current thinking on technology trends and public policy.
