Muscat, Jan 7 - The National Innovation Strategy (NIS) is in the beginning of the implementation stage, said His Highness Sayyed Dr Fahad bin Aljulanda al Said, Assistant Secretary General for Innovation development at The Research Council, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the National Innovation Strategy. “We finished planning and writing of documents, and gathering momentum in bringing stakeholders together, which was the second stage. We are now in the third stage, where we are raising awareness on National Innovation Strategy with the public, government and private sectors,” said Dr Fahad.
According to Dr Fahad, innovation is the next logical evolution to what has been achieved in Oman in the last 47 years. The next level would be for the qualified and competent people to find solutions as well as direct the economy. “It is the norm in developed countries. Without the right education, it is not easy to achieve.” “Building an ecosystem for innovation is the core mandate of Research Council. But we are talking about innovation in every manner. We are talking about innovation in the street, innovation with people and in every way. Innovation is a culture — it is a mindset. So we cannot limit it to one organisation.”
This is where experts feel innovation strategy will provide the direction.
National Innovation Strategy began with the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Review by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The publication achieved three fundamental goals. They are: an up-to-date assessment of framework conditions/ interactions required for a functional national innovation system, drawing attention to policy requirements for strengthening national innovation system based on three important pillars — human capital, intellectual property and economic diversification and through the third goal, a number of recommendations for strengthening policies and measures to improve technological capacity and encourage innovation.
In the past, innovation in Oman came from necessity but today it is the dip in oil price that has brought about the much-needed stress on innovation.
The crash in oil price was actually a motivation for innovation, says the Assistant Secretary General for Innovation Development.
Lakshmi Kothaneth
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