Celebrating Daedeok Valley's 40th Anniversary
In celebration of Daedeok Innopolis 40th anniversary, in-depth discussions were made about creative economy and the development of science and technology. Seven experts presented their opinions under the theme of “Future Development Strategy for Daedeok Innopolis, Creative Economy Leader”.
Session I: Creative Economy and Progress of Science and Technology
The speakers made presentations about the strategies and directions of the development of science and technology and innovations around different countries. Furthermore, they discussed the role of basic science from the perspective of creative economy.
One Person’s Path to Receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics
Doctor David J. Wineland, 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physics, described his career path and some of his experiences, which eventually led to sharing the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics with Serge Haroche of Paris, France. He accepted a permanent position at the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where its primary mission lies in the promotion of innovation and industrial competitiveness of the United States by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. Doctor Wineland stressed that the progress made in the research of his team were made possible by the strong support from NIST.
Science and Technology Leading to the Creative Economy
President Se-jung Oh from Institute for Basic Science (IBS) addressed Korea’s socio-economic changes and research and development (R&D) issues accompanied by the advent of the knowledge-based society. He also highlighted the importance of basic science for a paradigm shift to creative economy. As Korea now changed its position from a “fast-follower” to a “first-mover,” he offered R&D policy recommendations and a brief overview of IBS that has been established under the government’s initiative to foster a world-class research institute in the basic sciences. The strategies for cooperation with the innopolis were suggested during the presentation.
Business from Technology- the VTT Way
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is the largest multi-technological, applied, and non-profit research organization in Northern Europe. Vice President Anne-Christine Ritschkoff said that VTT’s strength lies in its technological know-hows and in particular, the ability to understand potential future business offerings through a combination of different technologies. According to the presentation, VTT provides additional added value to its stakeholders through technology knowledge upgrades, business intelligence services, foresight analysis, impact-driven strategic roadmaps, and policy simulations.
Creativity & Convergence: Toward New Paradigm
Doctor Yang-hee Choi, the chairman of Samsung Science & Technology Foundation, looked into the general trends for the future of Korea and the world, and how individuals, enterprises, and governments should prepare for the future. He presented development strategies for and cases of creative minds and talked about “X mind” as a creative mind willing to take challenges. He also explored how Korea can be transformed into a creative country through various tactical approaches where business management is combined with creativity and discussions on the importance of human resources development.
Session II: Technology and Innovation
The speakers focused on the development directions of Daedeok Innopolis in the era of creative economy and strategies adopted by international innovation clusters.
Creating an Ecosystem for Innovation: Global Lessons, Korean Implications
Doctor Christian Ketels surveyed the conceptual ideas of the innovative ecosystems that encourage higher levels of economic performance based on creative interaction of companies, research and educational institutions, and different types of public agencies. He further presented the empirical evidence on their usefulness in guiding policy decisions. He applied this lens to Korea and made a few key observations about areas Korea needs to tackle to create more effective innovation ecosystems. Doctor Ketels is currently a professor at Harvard Business School as well as the principal associate at Michael E. Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.
The Role of Universities for the Technology and Innovation
As Chief Professor at KAIST, Professor Soon-heung Chang covered the overall concept of creative economy guided and led by science technology innovation, and the roles of universities regarding technology innovation to support this system. He claimed that universities should provide a platform for industrialization of generating ideas in the campus.
Creative Economy Driving Growth, Jobs, Trade, and Innovation
Miss Edna dos Santos Duisenberg, the former chief of Creative Economy & Industries Program of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), stressed that the right mix of public policies and strategic choices are essential to shape a long-term strategy for harnessing the potential of the creative economy. “Concerted inter-ministerial actions, appropriated regulatory framework, and financing mechanisms are crucial”, she said. She highlighted that the creative economy relies heavily on ideas, knowledge, creativity, and the ability to seize new opportunities.
Seung Hyun Suh Staff Reporter
hyunsuh@kaist.ac.kr