GENOVASI

To spearhead the country’s movement into the age of innovation, the government, under the Special Innovation Unit (UNIK), will produce 5,000 innovation ambassadors over a period of five years.

UNIK, a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, will establish an innovation organisation called Genovasi, a combination of the words “generasi” and “inovasi” where youth can undergo courses in innovative thinking and methodologies, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak.

Malaysians need to change their mindset in order to be more innovative, and innovative thinking should be nurtured from a young age, said Najib in his speech after attending a dialogue session in Putrajaya with several leaders in innovation.

“They will learn the skills and methodologies and be taught to apply them to real situations where innovation can bring about progress, a better quality of life as well as solutions for the nation,” he said.

The innovation ambassadors can choose to implement their newly-acquired skills into one of three tracks: community-centric services, economic-related fields, or the government enhancement programme.

Genovasi will partner several companies and international institutions of higher learning including the renowned Singularity University, based in the Silicon Valley, and Stanford University, through its centre for professional development.

Najib said the institute will be launched early next year, and will be accorded university status within five years.

The programmes will be for a period of 12 weeks to suit the needs of young working professionals, and will be completed in two parts, with graduates being fed into internship programmes in the latter part.

UNIK chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Dr Kamal Jit Singh said planning for the initiative is still at a basic level, and further details, such as funding and certifications, will be announced in the coming months.

He said certification would most likely be a hybrid of more formal “paper-based” qualifications in the form of a degree, and less formal elements but equally distinguished qualifications like those offered by the Singularity University.

References:

1.    Genovasi. January 25 2013. Retrieved from http://www.genovasi.my/

2.    Genovasi way to the next level. January 29 2013. Retrieved from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/9/11/business/11951289&sec=business