PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) this week hosted the 4th Annual Forum on Technology Transfer, focusing on “Technology Commercialization: Bridging Innovative Technologies and Market Opportunities in Cambodia” to supports Cambodia’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Roadmap 2030 and the Royal Government’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I for socio-economic development.
This year’s forum discussed policy frameworks and support mechanisms necessary for promoting technology development and to foster collaboration between government, industry, and academia to drive commercialization efforts. The forum has attracted 150 participants, including government officials, industry leaders, researchers, university students, investors, and international organizations.
Dr. Hul Seingheng, Undersecretary of State at MISTI, stated that, “This forum is a pivotal exploration of the mechanisms for technology commercialization within the Cambodian context, focusing on building a robust ecosystem that includes the National Innovation System (NIS), Research & Development, and innovative technologies.
He continued that the MISTI organized this forum to share knowledge, recommend policies, address challenges, and propose solutions. We aim to foster collaboration among participants and galvanize them to become integral components of this transformative system.”
He added: “Researchers, including undergraduate and doctoral students, are a valuable resource. Their understanding of technology transfer is crucial as it enables them to develop their research results into commercially viable businesses. By encouraging students to understand industry needs and technology commercialization, we can foster next-generation innovation to drive economic growth and contribute to solving problems both domestically and internationally. Their contributions are a catalyst in building a strong national innovation system that can achieve the goals set out in Cambodia’s 2023 ICT roadmap.”
He stressed that the forum also discussed intellectual property protection, along with promoting technology commercialization, to transform research and technological innovation results into scalable and market-ready solutions to drive economic growth and global integration.
In this regard, Dr. Srun Panharith, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of ICT of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, highlighted the importance of technology commercialization for Cambodia’s socio-economic development.
He said: “Technology commercialization is not only important but also a foundation for our national development vision. Over the past few decades, more than 100 middle-income countries have attempted to develop their economies into high-income countries, generally measured by an average annual per capita income of approximately US$14,000. However, less than half of them have succeeded. Most countries remain stuck in the ‘middle-income trap.’”
He added: “Research evidence shows that the most effective way to overcome this problem and achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country is to promote innovation through technology commercialization. Countries with economies dependent on oil resources, such as the United Arab Emirates, have also succeeded in becoming high-income countries by integrating technology-driven industries into their economies, which shows the enormous potential of technology commercialization.”
In recent years, Cambodia has made significant progress towards economic diversification and technological innovation. The first Technology Transfer Forum in 2021 paved the way by exploring the importance of technology transfer and building a policy framework.
The second forum focused on preparing SMEs to embrace technology by encouraging skills development and capacity building for Industry 4.0. The 2023 forum identified challenges and opportunities in Cambodia’s new technology-based business ecosystem and showcased successful examples of technology transfer.