Transcript Women in Research and Development in Universities and Research

International Forum on Women in Science and
Technology in Muslim Countries
20-22 Sept., 2011
Women in Research and Development in
Universities and Research Institutions
Prof Asma Ismail ( PhD), FASc
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation,
Professor, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine
(INFORMM) - HiCoE,
Chancellory, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang,
Malaysia
Outline of talk
• Looking at the global trends of S&T
• Issues and challenges for women in S&T
• Addressing the gaps
• Policies that address the issues
Outline of talk
• Policies that allows women to remain in
R&D
• What do we do in the mean time?
• Turn around the way we do research:
science with a human face
Introduction to Science &
Technology
• Advances in science and technology have marked the onset
of the Third Millennium.
• If S&T was used rationally and effectively, it could help
eradicate hunger, poverty, destitution and indignity.
• Malaysian Vision 2020 has clearly placed Science &
Technology (S&T) and Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) as a critical pathway to achieve the status
of a developed nation and to help enhance Malaysia’s
survival in the K-based economy.
• Emphasis on human resource development in S&T continues
into the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), during which
premier universities and Research institutes are expected to
create centers of excellence for research.
Source: `Women in Science and Technology in Malaysia: A Gender Perspective’ by
Rashidah Shuib, KANITA, USM
Science & Technology in Malaysia
• The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI)
and the Ministry of Higher Education are the lead ministries
that formulate policies in the area of science, technology and
innovation for fundamental research (MOHE) and applied
and commercialization of research (MOSTI) .
• Innovation aspects of Research are looked into by AIM
(Agency Innovation Malaysia)
• Government based Venture Capitalists (MTDC, BiotechCorp,
MAVCAP) look into pre-commercialization and
commercialization of research
• MOSTI and Academy Sciences Malaysia (ASM) also
implements many programmes related to the promotion of
S&T and national R&D activities.
Science & Technology in Malaysia
Since R&D is the national agenda of the
country, in the Malaysian Budget 2010,
strategies as announced by Prime Minister for
research in S&T include:- Intensifying Research, Development and
Commercialisation
- Development of Green Technology
- Enhancing Highly Skilled Human Capital
(Develop Intellectuals in Science and
Technology)
World/Global Agenda
Development
New Era Demands New Education and Research Paradigm
Global
Ubiquitous – Humanization Economy Age
< Wisdom, Moral, Spiritual >
Local /National
Bio-Green Economy Age
< Synthetic Capability :eg IT
Stage of economy in Asia
Knowledge-based Economy Age < Knowledge >
Hunter-Gathering
Agricultural Age
<Manual>
19C
Industrial Age < Mechanical > Future concentrates on outcome
on humanity rather than just
impact of knowledge
20C
21C
Time
Factors that drives Economic Success
The assets that drive economic success of K-based
economy:





patents
advanced research
venture capital
university graduates and Ph.D.s
air, rail and sea hubs
Assets are mainly
in the Universities
*Source: Bruce Katz, TIME Magazine, 21st Oct 2010
Role and expectations of Universities in the 21st Century
Empower talents to be
action-oriented leaders
who deliver solutions
that ensure
sustainability of change
Train
innovators of
tomorrow
Science
Provide
solutions
Through
Real-World
Experiences
Engine of growth
for the nation
Translate knowledge
via commercialization
(Value Creation of
of R&D products
Technology knowledge Through
and development
Innovation &
of K-based enterprises Management Entrepreneurship)
Generate
Knowledge
•Curriculum that
creates
entrepreneurs to
participate in
Startups
• Graduates that
are self employed
and create jobs for
others
•Graduates that
cares about
humanity
Disseminate
Knowledge
8
Expectations of Modern Universities
in the New Economy
We are expected to go through
R –D –C – E- Community engagement
(to help humanity)
Issues and challenges for women in S&T
ISSUES
•Malaysia wants to be a developed nation by 2020
•To be a developed nation we need to to have
50:10,000 population of RSEs
•We currently stand at 21:10,000 RSEs
•Hence we need BOTH men and women to pull their
weights to fulfill the statistics within 9 years.
•We cannot afford to loose either gender.
REALITY
Student Enrolment in Government Assisted Schools by
Level of Education and Sex , Year 2007
Males drop
in number
51.4
Source: Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development
REALITY
Student Enrolment in Public Higher Learning Institutions by Level of
Study and Sex, Year 2007/2008
58.2
41.8
61.9
38.1
52.9
47.1
38.1
61.9
Source: Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development
Increased in
female number for
undergrads but
begin to drop off
at PhD –
“leaky pipeline”
REALITY
Labor Force Participation Rate by Sex, 1997-2007
84.3
83.1
46.0
82.8
44.4
83.0
44.6
47.2
82.3
46.8
81.5
46.7
82.1
47.7
80.9
80.0
47.3
45.9
Source: Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development
79.9
45.8
79.5
46.4
Gender
participation
in labour force
is about equal
REALITY
(SPECIFIC EXAMPLES): Percentage of Academic Staff in
Universiti Putra Malaysia by Cluster as of November 2009
41.5%
58.5%
53.1%
46.9%
61.3%
38.7%
39.8%
60.2%
49.4%
50.6%
57.0%
43.0%
Source: Registrar Office of UPM
There
seemed
to be subject
specializations
among female
students
REALITY
Number of Academic Staff in Public Higher Learning
Institutions, 2006 - 2007/2008
Year 2006
51%
35.9%
49%
64.1%
Year 2007/2008
21.6%
36.4%
23.1%
53.1%
78.4%
63.6%
76.9%
46.9%
Source: Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development
Number of
Female lecturers
decreased as
we move
towards
Professorship
REALITY
Statistics of Women vs. Man as Fellows in the
Academy of Sciences, Malaysia
Lower percentage
of women
leaders in S&T
Source: Aini Idiris, Knowledge Society & the Status of Women in Science in Malaysia,2010
Fellow Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Source: Aini Idiris, Knowledge Society & the Status of Women in Science in Malaysia,2010
REALITY
Women in Science & Technology –
The Trends
•
Percentage of women in scientific and
technological careers is lower than men (which
is also a widespread global phenomenon)
• The trend is even more distinct in
professional, managerial and leadership
positions
•The overall female labor participation rate in
Malaysia has not increased much in
comparison to the number of enrolment in
higher education
•Academicians (researchers) in institutions of
higher learning, in S&T still show lower
numbers of women, especially at higher
positions
• Though women have the drive and capability
to succeed in S&T, there seems to be a
phenomenon whereby the percentages of
female began to wane at the working level (and
at higher postgraduate level) – “leaky pipeline”
Source: Prof Aini Idiris; Knowledge Society &
the Status of Women in Science in
Malaysia,2010
Source: `Women in Science and Technology in Malaysia: A Gender Perspective’ by Rashidah Shuib,
KANITA, USM
What Happened?
Source: Prof Aini Idiris Knowledge Society &
the Status of Women in Science in Malaysia,2010
Lack of policy in S&T that addresses the
needs of women to remain in S&T
• Malaysian S&T policy is a gender blind policy.
• Without the availability of sex-disaggregated data its
difficult to perform a systematic gender analysis.
• Without undergoing gender tracking to find out the
issues that take place as they go through the entire
stage of their decision making process and without
giving serious consideration as to the realities of life that
women are facing in trying to balance between family
and career, the existing policy will ensure women to
remain status quo in their contribution to S&T.
Indonesian S&T Policy
This is in contrast to the Indonesian S&T policy:
• S&T development needs to apply gender
perspective, so as to realize gender equality and
justice (JAKSTRA IPTEK 3.1, Prinsip Dasar No.8)
• Studies to be carried out on the weaknesses of
institutional structure which need to be overcome
immediately in order to reduce the impact of sociopolitical gaps and provide support to gender equality
through a harmonious atmosphere in order to
continuously strengthen the basis for social solidarity.
(JAKSTRA IPTEK 3.4, No 2:10)
What can the existing women
scientists do in the mean time?
Determining directions of Research:
Blue Ocean Strategy
Kim,W.C. and Mauborgne,R. (2005).
How can we ensure that
we are in the lead and
ahead of our competitors?
How do we make our
competitors irrelevant?
How can we create an
impact to the nation and to
society?
Photograph by Zulfigar Yasin
The gap between rich and poor is becoming wider
and more visible. Almost 60% of humanity lives on
less than $2 a day. Nearly 30% of the world's
population suffers some form of malnutrition.
The reality
40% Malaysian households
are below poverty line
The world's
richest 50 million
people consume
as much as the
2.7 billion poorest
people on the
planet
Science with a human face
•The progress in the fields of biotechnology, information and
communication technology, medicine, space science and
management science offers unprecedented opportunities for
multifaceted development.
•The industrialized countries and a few developing countries (in some
of the areas) are vigorously capturing these opportunities by
innovating, adapting and regulating these technologies.
•But the majority of the developing countries are far behind and
underdeveloped countries are further falling behind, thus widening the
technology divide.
•Science and Technology can greatly promote inclusive development
by addressing the needs and opportunities of poor and the neglected.
•If only S&T was performed with a human face in mind it will have a
special appeal for the people who need it most.
Reality: Inequity divide exists
WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT???
• Despite decades of epidemics
that we have experienced, we
still do not have adequate
vaccines
• Annually 48 million die of
cholera, 2.9 million from enteric
infections, 5 million die of AIDS
and tuberculosis
• WHY?
• Simply because vaccines are
UNAVAILABLE or
INACCESSIBLE to those who
need it most from the
underdeveloped or developing
countries.
• No company wants to make a
vaccine for USD1.00
Stop playing catching up and turn around
the way we do research
Rich
Balance Impact
with
Impact factor
2 billion
Bottom
Billions
4.7 billion
•Address the needs of the bottom billion
Nurture action-oriented leaders
arereduce
ableinequity
to provide
•Concentrate on research outcomeswho
that will
and enhance
sustainability
sustainable solutions
forproblems.
humanity to use.
• Provide local solutions to answer global
•Undergo real world experiences to ensure sustainability of change
Collaborate or collapse
•For S&T outputs to be delivered to the people they have to
be commercialised
•Commercialization is not an easy process
•Currently Malaysian R&D in the universities can
commercialise only 10%
•Commercialization can be enhanced if we have the Political
will to:
•Develop innovative human capital
•Allocate GDP for Research
•Allocate funds Research grants
•Hence there is a need to have the correct innovation
ecosystem in the country with collaboration from many
sectors
Need to Create the Right Innovation
Ecosystem
Industry
Government
Scientists need to be closely
integrated with policy makers, so
that their contribution to the policy
debate
is included
and that the Innovation
Innovative
Ventures
Society
important outputs targeted to
Ecosystem
those who need them most
Education
Source: MOHE IMP 2010
There is a need to link
S&T outputs to each
component of the
ecosystem.
The components must
move in harmony to
complement and
synergize the efforts of
the others.
Linking S&T outputs to the community
•For S&T to produce the best effects and to ensure
sustainability of the change, there must be planning
for community engagement of the solutions being
offered by the researchers.
•Such an approach puts people at the centre of
development
When performing R&D
•People-oriented solutions
that the
we needrecognize
to be relevant
people must themselves
their own
andidentify
offer solutions
development priorities
select
the most
that and
create
a sustainable
appropriate technologies
andtoproducts.
change
the people.
•People-oriented solutions will also be made
appropriate to the culture of the targeted clients.
Gender Relations
Gender Relations
Gender Relations
Who takes the lead is not
important, as long as we
are doing science for
the sake of humanity
and helping to reduce
the inequity divide
Thank You
[email protected]
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