INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS
This section presents the insights, analysis, and recommendations of the group based on the data gathered about ASTI focused into a number of key focal points.
ASTI as a Technology Integrator
The Advanced Science and Technology Institute is currently tasked with a mandate to conduct scientific research and development in the advanced fields of information and communications technology and microelectronics. In terms of ICT, ASTI has evolved into a technology integrator that brings together different applications to address particular needs of partner organizations. In this regard, the actual research and development work, if any, is limited to the customization of existing ICT software such as open source platforms and applications to perform specific tasks. This becomes a challenge for the organization because creating new technologies that can be considered true research and development, particularly in the open-source software industry, is a highly competitive environment with its own set of difficulties in creating patentable or proprietary technologies. In other words, by utilizing vast amounts of resources in this field of endeavor, what competitive advantage does ASTI bring that is not already offered by other competing private software companies?
A Shift in Focal Technologies
Currently, majority of ASTI’s efforts focus on information and communications technologies and microelectronics as specified by its current mandate. These focus technologies have been in place for the most part of ASTI’s operations. Both technologies, particularly microelectronics, are technologies that have had sufficient time to mature thus allowing many major players to create highly advanced and specialized technologies. Today, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturers Intel and AMD have accumulated vast amounts of resources and have progressed in their research and development to the point that local technological catch-up by ASTI may not be as feasible, much less competitive unless massive amounts of resources are poured into it without even any guarantees of success and, more importantly, to what end?
At this point, ASTI is already heavily invested in these technologies, but the speed at which the rest of the world is moving forward with these technologies relative to them is rapidly making these investments obsolete. Tough questions may sooner or later begin to surface on whether or not to continue despite little chance for creating new breakthroughs, or starting over with something new.
Given this situation, where moving forward with pushing for further research and development by ASTI in microelectronics as well as for the majority of ICT seems redundant, there may be a need for the organization to reevaluate the current technologies that it is focusing on, even to the point of examining the entire system for focal technology selection and its lifecycle. This calls for an examination of the existing technology management system and infrastructure which can potentially make the organization more flexible going forward. New major investments will have to be made but first, the technology and project selection criteria will have to consider the risks involved in exploring new ventures.
One-Sided International Collaboration
As a developing nation, one-sided international collaboration in terms of technology transfer and acquisition is something to be expected, particularly in the early stages of the research and development of a specific technology. As previously mentioned, ICT and microelectronics are technologies that are generally considered mature technologies in their present state. The private sector is the primary driver for technological growth in these industries, each group developing within its own area of expertise and from their contributing to the general body of knowledge through commercial activities. Along the way, various forms of intellectual property have been created and established in these industries and have strengthened the leadership positions of the innovators.
The challenge here, and this is not a problem unique to ASTI, is that as technological followers, there is not much room for large contributions to the industry in the first place since these have already been established by the leaders. There is room to contribute in narrowed specific niche focal areas of these technologies but since the industry leaders are not only technological leaders but also commercial ones, it is more often than not, their projects and areas of expertise that generate market impact and appeal. Other fields which may still be left unexplored may not be as economically rewarding if one does not have adequate resources for investment not only in research and development, but also in product sales and marketing. In this regard, ASTI faces a massive challenge if it wishes to pursue new frontiers within ICT and microelectronics. The economic and intellectual resources requirements to create breakthroughs in the industry that might be considered worthwhile for two-way international collaboration may not be within its capabilities.
Open Innovation and Intellectual Property Pooling
Open-source software is an area well-positioned for growth for years to come should ASTI decide to pursue incremental innovations either related to or built on top of existing established platforms. Software development is a potentially huge market which is generally not as resource intensive as other R&D areas. Open-source software is currently expanding outside personal computing and moving into the space of mobile computing and communications and even general consumer electronics. These are areas of high interest for many private sector firms and there are relatively little barriers for entry.
As a technology integrator, ASTI has already begun to immerse itself in these open technologies and all that may be needed to push for a more focused approach towards research and development in this field might come in the form of specialized custom projects that take advantage of resources that are already available. This industry however, is a highly commercial one. In order to keep pace with competition from both the private and public sector, locally and internationally, commercialization will potentially play an important role in determining whether or not ASTI will succeed or not should it decide to pursue a focal project in open-source software.
Work and investments in these open-source technologies can also lead to increased international participation and general intellectual property pooling. These steps can pave the way for future local contributions to the general knowledge pool and potentially an increase in locally contributed patents related to them.
Long Term Project Issues
Leadership continues to play a particularly important role in the potential selection long-term projects that ASTI may consider pursuing. Based on past results, a vast majority of completed projects have been short-term ones based on the prevailing technologies during the past eras at which they were conceptualized. Though there is always an external influence from the current administration and the leadership at the Department of Science and Technology towards the types of projects pursued by ASTI the burden of actual research and development and project selection ultimately falls on the organization and whether or not it decides to pursue short-term or long-term projects is subject to many different factors such as social and financial ones.
The challenge for long-term projects is that although they hold a faint promise of developing technological breakthroughs, committing financial and human resources without any immediate potential returns is always a tough sell for any organization. In this case, it is a particularly tougher one for a government organization whose results are broken down into which administration was present during the time of the success.
In terms of the current focal technologies of ICT and microelectronics, the questions related to the maturity of the technology and the overall competitiveness of the industry becomes a critical issue that must be addressed when considering any long term approach to development. Is there a future for long term research projects to still be conducted in ICT or microelectronics given the current state of the industry and ASTI’s own limitations? Should new long term plans be made in consideration of new and emerging technologies?
A Triple-Helix Approach
As a sub-organization within the Department of Science and Technology, ASTI functions as a specialized government unit for research and development currently for information and communications technologies and for microelectronics. It’s proximity to the University of the Philippines as well as its ties with various key figures in the private sector positions it well as an organization that can leverage both private and educational resources to bolster its own efforts.
Past efforts such as the production and sale of an ultra-low cost digital multimeter in partnership with Alexan, a private sector electronics components seller, and the ASTI-PREGINET project, an education based service that allows state universities and colleges, government organizations, and research institutions to collaborate over a dedicated network illustrate, at least in concept, the potential for growth in research and development through various partnerships.
