TIV was invited by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to present on Cambodia’s Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy in Nov 2018. Hosted by the General Secretariat of the National of Science and Technology Council of Cambodia and attended by top policy makers including H.E Mr. Has Bunton, Secretary General of GS-NSTC, as well as H.E. Mr. Tuon Tavrak, Secretary of State, and Vice chair of National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The main event involved a Workshop on the Draft of Cambodia’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy 2019-2025 aimed to develop an action plan to foster innovation in the country.

As a distinguished speaker, TIV’s CEO painted the landscape of Cambodia’s innovation framework, and the necessary conditions that must be in place for sustainable growth. The discussion also investigated how STI can contribute to not only sustainable and inclusive development, but also how STI foster social development and environmental sustainability.

In conjunction with a leading Economic Affairs Officer of UN’s ESCAP, Mr. Gupta kicked off the workshop with a primer on the current state of affairs in Cambodia and provided a background on the key topics of the sessions:

1. STI environment in Cambodia – Building on Current Strengths

2. Vision and Scope – Aligning with National Development Goals and Promoting Inclusive Innovation

3. Strategic Priorities

4. Action Plan

5. Governance

In laying the foundation for discussion, TIV also provided their expertise with innovation ecosystems. This included discussion on how innovation can be used as a means for rapid growth when elements such as technology, entrepreneurship, risk finance, tech extension and knowledge spillovers are utilized correctly. Furthermore, TIV explored a Sources of Innovation Map, which explicated multiple origin points for new ideas and how these catalysts interact in a network of Acquisition/ Transfer mechanisms and with Users of Knowledge.

This initiative was part of a broader engagement wherein TIV advised UNESCAP on its mission to help draft Cambodia’s new STI policy (part of Cambodia's Rectangular Strategy Phase 4). As part of the engagement, TIV also conducted proprietary analysis on the current technology trajectory Cambodia in its report, “Rapid Assessment of Cambodia’s Innovation Ecosystem.”