Press Release
Jordan Daily – Malaysia has called on members of the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA) to strengthen their national foresight initiatives and work together to harmonise data frameworks for collective resilience and shared prosperity within the region.
Delivering his ministerial speech at the ASM-AASSA Workshop on “Addressing Global Challenges in a Postnormal World”, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia, The Honourable Dato’ Dr Hj Mohammad Yusof Hj Apdal said, “We encourage all AASSA members to strengthen their national foresight initiatives. Malaysia stands ready to collaborate in sharing methodologies and exploring ways to harmonise data frameworks, so that together we can transform foresight into a practical tool for collective resilience and shared prosperity.”
The Honourable Dato’ Dr Hj Mohammad Yusof highlighted Malaysia’s commitment to foresight-led planning through several ongoing initiatives. Under the 13th Malaysia Plan, a periodic megatrend analysis report, developed using the foresight approach, will be produced to guide and inform the implementation of research, development, commercialisation, and innovation (RDCI) activities.
He also announced that Malaysia, along with cohorts of researchers from ASEAN Member States, has produced “ASEAN Ahead: ASEAN STI Ecosystem Foresight 2035 and Beyond” report through the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM), to be launched by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, The Right Honourable Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim on 24 October 2025. The report sets out a strategic blueprint to strengthen ASEAN’s position as a global powerhouse.
ASM President also serve as the Science, Technology and Innovation Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Nation echoed, “This calls for a paradigm shift in how we understand global challenges, including how we mobilise science, innovation, and collaboration to ensure that we are not only reacting to change but proactively shaping it.”
Malaysia’s proposal for the APEC Open Science Alliance (APECOSA) was also highlighted as part of its broader effort to promote open and responsible data sharing. Welcomed by APEC economies, APECOSA aims to connect open-science focal points across the region by 2026.
“I invite all of us to embrace open and responsible data sharing. MOSTI believes AASSA members can contribute meaningfully to this effort, aligning regional expertise with global initiatives and ensuring that scientific knowledge is both accessible and impactful,” added The Honourable Dato’ Dr Hj Mohammad Yusof.
The workshop, jointly organised by AASSA and ASM from 22 to 23 October 2025, brought together more than 100 participants and representatives from member academies and scientific societies to deliberate on science-based approaches to complex global challenges.
