The inaugural Global Innovation Forum organised by the World Bank Group was held from 4 to 6 October 2017. The event aimed to facilitate systematic policy dialogue among developed and developing countries, with a focus on addressing the potential of exponential technologies to promote national innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr Sze Tiam Lin, Senior Director, IPI was invited to participate in a panel session to discuss the roles of governments, both as a source of demand for innovation and in promoting effective technology transfer. The panellists also discussed how public agencies foster innovation and encourage local companies to innovate. Dr Sze shared his perspectives and IPI’s work in supporting the local innovation and enterprise ecosystem through Open Innovation. In addition, he cited examples of Singapore-based SMEs that have successfully developed new products by co-innovating with technology partners introduced through IPI.

The panel session also featured speakers from New Zealand and Japan who shared their best practices. These included encouraging innovation in start-ups through accelerator programmes, public sectors as lead demand for innovation, and adopting the role of a facilitator to foster innovative projects beyond offering grants or subsidies.