Harnessing Science and Technology for Society

Irrigation Robot. Source: Intel Free Press, flickr

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 14th Annual Meeting of the STS forum. Source: Japan Kantei.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 14th Annual Meeting of the STS forum. Source: Japan Kantei.

The rapid development of science and technology has enabled stronger economic growth and higher quality of life, but these advancements continue to raise important ethnical, safety and environmental issues.

This “lights and shadows of science and technology” was the subject of discussion for some 1,400 leaders in science and technology, policy-making, business, and media at the recent 14th Science and Technology in Society forum (STS forum). Responding to a term coined by Mr Koji Omi, founder of this annual forum, the participants from nearly 800 countries, regions and international organisations explored how best to harness the opportunities and address the risks and challenges that comes with science and technology.

Executive Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities Mr Khoo Teng Chye was invited to STS forum as a speaker at the ‘Smart Cities’ session. Mr Khoo shared about the transformation of Singapore into a global first world city using an integrated urban systems approach to urban development, balancing conflicting themes such as economic development and green spaces and focusing on creating a liveable and sustainable city. He shed light on the importance of science, technology, and good governance for urban development and the essential need for regulatory bulwarks to analyse new technologies before they are harnessed by urban centres. He commended the importance of platforms such as the STS forum and World Cities Summit to assist in the sharing of best practices between cities.

Amongst the wide range of discussions on topics such as the digitalized society, life sciences and health care, energy, resources and the environment as well as research and innovation, here were three key takeaways from this year’s forum.

A friendly regulatory environment makes for a cradle of innovation
“I am determined that in this age of science and technology making huge strides ahead, I must turn Japan into a cradle of innovation where the Japanese, the Germans, and anyone from overseas can work together to always create something new,” said Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe in his keynote speech.

Stressing the importance of deregulation in facilitating greater open innovation, Abe highlighted how Japan attracted key players in the self-driving industry through deregulation. Companies can test their self-driving cars easily because Japan’s National Police Agency allow them to drive anywhere at any time without asking for any permit. The only condition is some has to be ready to take over the wheel whenever necessary.

Similar efforts in Japan’s pharmaceutical industry has allowed industry players to develop new drugs and put them into the marketplace as soon as they are developed, facilitating greater collaboration, experimentation and innovation. In reducing red tape, Japan has attracted pharmaceutical giants from as far as California to move their medicine testing processes to the country.

These successes in harnessing opportunities from science and technology with good governance has encouraged Abe to push his ministries to “change their regulations in order to catch up with new technologies.” He is convinced that science and technology can solve the country’s longstanding structural issues, including using robots and robotics to alter and boost Japan’s agriculture industry, which is facing a declining number of farmers who are rapidly ageing too.

ICT can be a key enabler in achieving sustainable development
Deputy Chairman of the Board, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Guo Ping, shared how his Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company is helping companies and countries achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) through industry innovation and the development of sustainable cities and communities,

For instance, Huawei is working with traditional companies to use ICT to connect their elevators to improve efficiency and design. Such “preventive maintenance” ensures safe operations and reduces costs as it makes elevators and their key components visible in real time. Ping noted that this allows operators to work towards halving their maintenance cost and more than double their recovery time. In addition, with big data, operators can better manage all the complex interface and data and record the status of all the sensors in real time during critical moments. They can then identify possible safety defects and gaps in efficiency in real time, and thus optimising productivity

Huawei is also using ICT to enable safer and faster mobile banking and international remittance for the citizens of Kenya. Today, about 38% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product runs on Huawei’s and Safari’s mobile money platform. This goes a long way in stamping out corruption and unnecessary middle-man transactions, which also brings the country a step closer towards the SDG of eradicating poverty.

Harnessing science and technology for the people
Of all the discussions at the forum, the most attention was given to how we need to harness all the efforts that are going into science and technology for society and people. Smart cities and its accompanying technologies, for example, is not an end in itself but to enhance connectivity between people regardless of age and background. Ultimately, the vast improvements in science and technology have immense potential in enhancing quality of life and building more resilient and liveable communities.

The forum was also a poignant reminder of how technology can never replace human-to-human communication. Meeting like-minded individuals and organisations face-to-face at the forum remains key to collaboration and generating innovation. This continued personal engagement builds up the resilience needed to face the disruptions and challenges brought about by new advancements in science and technology.

About the Writer

Tan Guan Hong

Tan Guan Hong is a researcher at the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC). She focuses on ageing-related research at CLC and is currently working on urban planning for an ageing population, particularly senior living options. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the National University of Singapore.