Can Asia Lead The World in Innovation?

In the UN’s Global Innovation Index 2016, China joined the elite list of the world’s top 25 most innovation economies. A recent Capgemini-Altimeter report describes the rise of “innovation empires” in Asia that will rival Silicon Valley, and singles out India as the “R&D destination of choice” for multinationals. Against this backdrop, this event will address the following crucial questions:

1. Why and how the epicenter of global innovation is rapidly shifting to Asia?
2. What sound public policies and corporate strategies can help Asian nations move up further the global innovation value ladder?
3. Is there an “Asian way of innovating”—i.e., frugal innovation—and if so, what are its unique defining attributes?
4. How can Asian firms and societies combine their unique innovation capabilities to engage the West in co-creating solutions to global problems in energy, education, healthcare, food, and urban development?
5. How can Singapore leverage its distinctive strengths to position itself as a major hub in the nascent “global innovation networks”?