Prioritise Research And Innovation

For years now, the United States has taken a lead in the field of research and innovation ranging from agriculture to space. For decades, Japan’s intricate research in electronics and mechanics has always wowed the world. Since the beginning of this century, China has also been gradually catching up and has joined the bandwagon of research and innovation although the country was long known for a manufacturing hub and a dexterous technology copy-cat nation. From the developed to the underdeveloped to the developing, all countries have always posited research and innovation on the front to acclaim a competitive advantage in the world. Where do we stand in research and innovation? Have we ever given any heed to this? These are the million-dollar questions.

Empty promises

We are very witty in pointing fingers to others. There is no innovation in Nepal because the King’s direct rule never prioritised it. The country’s prosperity was never in the agenda of the Rana’s rule for 104 years; thus no innovation. Even forget about the time elapsed since the 2007 revolution. Has the Nepal government paid any attention to research and innovation after the popular uprising in 2063 to declare Nepal a federal republic? With his sweat and tears and through the support of ordinary citizens, Mahabir Pun founded the National Innovation Centre in 2012, a non-profit organisation, with the sole purpose of establishing research and innovation culture and breeding entrepreneurs in the country. As yet, the government has provided him with nothing besides the empty promises.         

A solid 25 years of research is devoted to the smartphone that we all hold today, and it has been an integral part of our life. The Apple Computer, the world’s largest technology company in the world, was initially started in the garage of a private home about 50 years ago. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulbs, went on carrying out 1000 failed attempts before perfecting his invention. 

When asked why he failed 1000 times yet continued, he answered: “I have not failed 1000 times but I have successfully found 1000 ways that will not work”. Great success is often built on failure, frustration, even catastrophe. Despite repetitive failures, James Dyson went on his passion for inventing a bagless vacuum cleaner for 15 laborious years. He is now a successful entrepreneur and his innovation has catapulted him to the second richest person in the UK. There are thousands of stories like this of entrepreneurs in the world all of whom have started from nothing and are now to be reckoned with. 

  Despite the fact that we are already miles behind in research and innovation, we can no longer continue the status-quo and must start somewhere. No country can prosper today sans research and innovation. On one hand, only new innovation can give birth to a new product. On the other hand, to earn consumer’s confidence, a product’s performance must be backed by research. Only research can offer an edge to a product in this competitive market. Consumers are very savvy in today’s market. Only innovative, safe and economical products backed by research can survive in the market. Believe it or not, a scoop of engineering is buried into the production of toothpicks to the launching of rockets into space.

There will be no jobs in the county without entrepreneurship. When innovation and research is conducive in the nation, entrepreneurship takes root. The outcome, either positive or negative, perennial investment and constant dedication is what is essential in innovating something. The top and economically prosperous countries in the world now host a gazillion number of entrepreneurs either groomed nationally or wooed to be migrated. In hindsight, this was not an easy journey. 

Personal efforts

Mahabir Pun, an awardee of Ramon Magsaysay Award, has mentored thousands of students who are currently sprinkled around the world meritoriously competing internationally with their intelligence and cognizance. Mahabir himself educated in the United States chose to return to Nepal to furnish his research and innovation. With his personal efforts and the help of a few, he has traversed this far with the National Innovation Centre he founded. I believe that he has successfully planted the seed for the urge of innovation in the country in our noggin, which needs to be cradled and nurtured to the fullest to bear fruits. He lives a simple life, wears torn clothes and sandals, but always harbours innovation in mind. He has no personal gain but is determined to sacrifice his whole life to innovation so that one day the country will have something that we all feel proud of.  

Instead of rote education widespread in Nepal, the education in the country should be research and innovation-oriented and more pragmatic. All educational institutions in the nation should allocate the budget for promoting research and innovation —- the research driven by curiosity and discovery. The National Innovation Centre should be the “kernel” when it comes to research and innovation. We need to take a quantum leap to catch up, if desired now. In this regard, Mahabir Pun’s demand to allocate the meagre one per cent of the total federal and provincial governments' budget for research and innovation is just a peanut.  Rather, it is too little too late.

(A structural engineer in California, the author holds global experience in analysis and design of high-rise buildings, bridges and non-conventional structures in the USA and Japan for the last 25 years.)