ISLAMABAD, March 28: Despite being endowed with natural wealth, most OIC countries remain underdeveloped and heavily dependent on agriculture and other commodities or products based on natural extraction.

This was stated by the chairman Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Atta-ur-Rehman while addressing a three-day workshop to discuss the Establishment of Technology and Innovation Policy Research Centre for OIC Countries started here at Comstech secretariat building, Islamabad.

The workshop was organised by OIC Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech).

The workshop had been planned to make decisions regarding establishment of a centre where policies about science and technology would be deliberated and suggestions and recommendations would be made to OIC member states for improvement of the situation in the field of science and technology in the OIC region.

Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, also coordinator general of Comstech said the potential contribution of S&T for development has still not been recognized in most OIC countries. This is evident in their under investment in education and S&T sectors which results in the unequal distribution of resources and societal inequalities.”

He emphasised that building of scientific capability resulting in innovation was fundamental to the socio-economic development of the OIC nations. “Scientific research creates new knowledge and generates new technologies both essential for attainment of economic growth and competitiveness but in most OIC countries even the knowledge that exists has not been used productively due to misconceived priorities and weak institutional structures,” he maintained.

Dr Atta-ur-Rahman said, “We have established the Comstech Frontier Technology Centre. We wish to expand this Centre to a full-fledged policy research centre where OIC scientists will have the opportunity to research on science, technology and innovation policies of OIC countries, identification of policy gaps and recommending measures to address those gaps.

The keynote address on the need for National Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy was delivered by President ASEAN Academy of Sciences, Malaysia, Lee Yee Cheong, who also held the position of President of World Federation of Engineering Organizations.

Dr Lee Cheong was of the view that policy makers in intergovernmental organisations like the UN, national governments, and the scientific and academic communities in developing countries, must realise that scientific knowledge per say does not create wealth and employment. It is instead the application and commercialisation of knowledge, scientific or otherwise, into useful devices, installations, services and systems through engineering and technological innovation that create wealth and employment.

Earlier, Comstech Consultant, Dr STK Naim, gave a briefing on the theme of the workshop and said, “In our view a multi-country, multi-disciplinary approach to issues, lies in providing a forum for OIC countries experts to be engaged in a process of policy learning, share experiences of scientific and technological developments, strengths and weaknesses, success and failures. We are aware of the fact that no one fit for all formula exists and an in depth analysis of resource endowment and policy coordination at the micro level will be required for the development of innovation systems in each country.”

Delegates from Senegal, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bangladesh, and Netherlands are participating in the workshop.