In the current report, this is achieved using the official exchange rates (OER) at the time of expenditure. Malaysia records the highest percentage of R&D personnel in the public sector (60%) and the lowest percentage (12%) in the higher education sector.
The Research Skills Base
International Comparison of Research Priorities
In Malaysia and Singapore, national spending is almost entirely concentrated on R&D in NSE, whereas in the Philippines, over a fifth of R&D spending is dedicated to SSH. As the lower part of Table 2.10 shows, due to its higher level of R&D, Singapore generally spends a similar or larger share of its GDP on science R&D as the other two countries.
Introduction
R&D Performance of Industry
- R&D and Company Ownership
- Patterns of Growth in Industry R&D
- Effect of Company Size on R&D
- Linkages with the Public Research Sector
- R&D Intensity
- International Comparison of Industry R&D Strengths
This rises to 53% of R&D spending in the manufacturing industry and almost 80% of spending in the electrical and electronic industry. Foreign-owned companies also dominate R&D spending in the rubber and plastics and chemical products industries.
Innovation in Industrial Technology
- Patterns of Innovation
- Types of Innovation
- Sources of Information and Ideas for Innovation
- Acquisition and Sale of Technology
- Benefits and Costs of Innovation
- Costs, timing and pay-back of innovation
- Patents as Outputs of Technological Innovation
- Methods of Protecting Innovation
- Patent and Utility Innovation Application and Grants
- Patent Applications in Malaysia by Country of Residence
- International Comparison of Patenting Activities
Comparison of industrial sectors in Table 3.9 confirms that product innovation is reported more often than process innovation in almost all industrial sectors, with the exception of the wood and paper products, textile and pharmaceutical industries. This may be surprising, given that less than half of innovators do R&D. For consultants, the English-speaking countries US, UK and Australia were considered the most important (Table 3.11).
Fewer than 14 percent of the innovative companies that responded to the survey reported that they had sold or transferred technology in the past five years. Poor technological and economic management of innovation ('lack of technological opportunities', 'uncertainty in the timing of innovation' and 'innovation costs too difficult to control'); and .. c) Inadequate market response ('lack of customer response' or 'no need to innovate'). Patent documents are one of the few written outputs of industry-related research and technological innovation.
Overall, the major industrialized blocs were responsible for more than 80% of patent applications in Malaysia that year. In the United States, one of the world's largest technology markets, only 56 patents were granted to Malaysians between 1980 and 1993. This is roughly the same patenting rate as Chile or Portugal and higher than Indonesia, but only one-third the number of patents granted to Singaporeans during the same period (NSB 1996, Appendix Table 6-14).
Trade in Technology
Balance of Payments in Intangible Technology
- Balance of Payments for Royalties, Contracts and Professional Services
- Payments for Royalties, Contracts and Professional Services
- Receipts for Royalties, Contracts and Professional Services
In 1995, this shortfall amounted to more than RM900 million in royalties, and nearly RM1,300 in contract and professional costs. With the currently available data, only an unknown part of these payments can be attributed to science and technology-related knowledge or services: the proportion for royalties is likely to be higher than for professional costs. However, it may be significant that the trade deficit for royalties more than doubled in real terms between 1991 and 1995.
As noted in the previous S&T indicator report, a significant deficit in TBP can be expected and can be seen as a strong sign of investment in developing the intellectual capital needed for continued industrial development. Looking at where these payments go gives an indication of the countries from which Malaysia obtains licenses and knowledge-based services, including S&T-related knowledge and services. US revenues for royalties and license fees for the exchange and use of industrial processes by non-affiliated residents of Malaysia increased from about US$2 million in 1990 to US$18 million in 1994 (NSB 1996, Appendix Table 6-3).
While the pattern of receipts is less concentrated than that of payments, major industrial countries still feature prominently, along with developing countries such as Brunei and Indonesia. Malaysia relies on foreign sources for much of its professional knowledge and skills, although it too is slowly developing an export market for home-grown professional skills and technologies. Knowledge and skills originate mainly from the major industrialized countries, especially the United States and Japan, but some of the smaller European countries are also important sources.
Imports and Exports of Technology-based Products
- Trade in High R&D Intensity Products
- Export-Import Performance of Selected Industrial Countries
- High Technology Trade with the United States
Overall, the export-import ratio for the high R&D intensity industry group decreased slightly between 1992 and 1995. Japan exhibits very high export-import ratios in the office machinery and computers and electrical/electronics industries. The industrial export-import ratio of 0.85 is comparable to that of the United States and significantly higher than Australia, but lower than Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The United States is both a major supplier of high-tech goods to Malaysia and an important market for high-tech goods produced in Malaysia. In recent years, Malaysia's high-tech trade with the United States has seen a sustained and dramatic turnaround, following a trade deficit of more than US$460 million. In both product categories, but especially in computers and telecommunications, Malaysia has a significant trade surplus. with the United States.
The case of material design is particularly interesting, as these products (which include semiconductor materials and optical fibers etc. which are 'raw materials' for the Malaysian electronics industry) showed a large trade deficit with the United States in the early years 1990. Malaysia's trade with the United States is in deficit, particularly in aerospace, life science (medical technologies and drug manufacturing for example) and computer software. Of course, without further information it is impossible to say whether Malaysia's improved performance in high-tech trade with the United States indicates an increase in local sourcing of products and materials, a shift to other foreign suppliers such as Japan or Taiwan or, as likely. , a combination of both factors.
Human Resources for Science and Technology
- Introduction
- Production of Skilled People .1 Introduction
- Enrolments of Degree-Level Students
- Graduations of Degree-Level Students
- S&T Skills in the Work Force
- S&T Related Skills in the Employed Work Force
- Registered S&T Professionals
- S&T Professionals in Public Employment
In the case of joint majors (eg education and science), enrollments are considered to be related to natural sciences and engineering. Students in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE) account for just under half of PhD enrolments, and there is no indication that this proportion is increasing compared to students in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). Enrollments in the natural sciences and engineering accounted for about 45% of all master's students in 1994, and again there is some evidence of a slight decline in the relative proportion of NSE students over the four-year period.
A smaller relative drop is seen in Table 4.2 in the proportion of master's degree students who take courses in the fundamental natural sciences and the social sciences. This increase in master's-level health and medical studies contrasts with the relative decline in doctoral enrollment in the field. This represents a very significant increase, even in light of the high growth rates in NSE students shown in Table 4.1-Table 4.3.
Not surprisingly, this figure is very similar to the proportion of NSE students enrolled in university courses in the early 1990s. The number of professional, technical and related people in the labor force grew at a similar rate to 8.7% of those employed in 1993. Over the period, the numbers of S&T-related professionals grew by around 13%, with the strongest growth in engineering and medical and health-related occupations.
Public Awareness and Use of Science and Technology
- Introduction
- Public Interest In S&T
- Public Attitude To S&T
- S&T Literacy Among School Students
- Impact On Career Choices
This is considering that Malaysian students were compared to the general public of these countries. Overall, there were positive attitudes towards S&T among students in Malaysia, compared internationally, and interest was higher among science and vocational students than among their other classmates. International comparisons have shown that Malaysian students have a relatively high level of S&T literacy with a high percentage of correct answers to questions such as.
The option was most pronounced among non-science students at 39.2% of respondents, more than triple the next largest group. Technical and engineering careers (including mechanics, engineers, designers, draftsmen) was the second largest group at 19.8%. the largest group for science students with 29.8%, and the third for non-science students with 12.57%). In summary, the survey results suggest that two-thirds of school science students intend to pursue a career directly related to science and technology (science and mathematics, medicine, technology and engineering, and computer science).
Malaysian students of Indian descent were found to have the highest preference for an S&T career compared to the Chinese and the Bumiputras. However, in the case of the Chinese and Indians, there was a close parallel between the level of interest and career preference. It is clear that, despite a strong level of interest in science and technology, a high percentage of students in general and science stream students in particular see their career direction leading elsewhere.
Further Development of Science and Technology Indicators for Malaysia
- R&D Surveys
- Bibliometric Indicators
- S&T in Industry
- Human Resources for Science and Technology
- Public Awareness
- Collaboration on S&T Indicators
The agreed classification should allow particular fields of science and engineering to be identified with as much precision as possible. Disaggregating student data by gender and field of study to identify the proportion of women in science and engineering courses. Detailed information on relative salary levels achieved by S&T trained personnel in business enterprises, industry sectors, higher education and government sectors, and international comparison of salary levels.
Many international and foreign organizations are showing great interest in developing science and technology skills, performance and industrial application in Malaysia and other industrializing countries in Asia. OECD, Group of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators, Patent Data as Science and Technology Indicators: The Use and Interpretation of Patent Data in Practice, DSTI/STII/STP/NESTI(92) 2, OECD, Paris , 1992. Department of Industry, Science and Technology, Australia, Australian Business Innovation: A Strategic Analysis (Science and Innovation Measures 5), Australian Government.
UNDP-ASEAN, Draft Report on the Development of Science and Technology Indicators in the ASEAN Region, ASEAN Office, Jakarta, 1996. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Malaysia, Study on the Level of Awareness, Perception and Acceptance of Science and Technology among Malaysians, MASTIC, 1994 .Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Malaysia, Science and Technology Awareness among Secondary School Students, MASTIC, 1994.
