Charting the Future: Inaugural NUS Innovation Forum Takes Off in Manila

In May this year, the inaugural NUS Innovation Forum (NIF) kicked off in Manila with the theme “Navigating New Horizons: Charting the Future of Tech, Innovation and International Dynamics”. Organised by the NUS Office of Alumni Relations, NIF aimed to strengthen global connections among NUS alumni, academics and global thought leaders.

The event, hosted by Professor Aaron Thean, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, also celebrated the 55^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines. Her Excellency Constance See (Arts & Social Sciences ’97), Singapore’s Ambassador to the Philippines, 
served as the Guest-of-Honour.

In his speech, Prof Thean told the audience that a one-day event like NIF can have a far-reaching impact. “In 2004, a student from the University of Virginia competed at a technopreneurship forum over his spring break, where he generated an idea for a new company,” said Prof Thean. “That forum was held at NUS, the company was Reddit and the student was Alexis Ohanian, who has subsequently credited NUS and Singapore for ‘jumpstarting his whole career’. Big ideas — world-changing ones — can come from small events and chance conversations. As you listen to today’s speakers and participate in our networking and dinner, I want you to remain open to possibility and connection.” 

Panel 1: Building a Culture of Innovation

The main event at the Manila forum took the form of three spirited panel discussions that drew active participation from both alumni and students. The first panel discussion — on the role of the university in fostering innovation — featured Prof Thean and Atty Angelo A. Jimenez (Public Policy ’13), President of the University of the Philippines, and was moderated by Ms Karla Hotchkiss-Rufino (Business ’10), Division Head Market and Liquidity Risk China Bank Philippines. Both Atty Jimenez and Prof Thean took the opportunity offered by Ms Hotchkiss-Rufino to expand the innovation subject into the area of “experiential learning”.  

Atty Jimenez described an initiative at the University of the Philippines where students developed empathy by working on the ground with communities in remote locations. Prof Thean added that innovation in learning in today’s context includes making room for education outside the classroom. On the subject of innovation hubs in the university, Atty Jimenez noted that the University of the Philippines was committed to working on fundamental research while partnering with businesses and the government on applied research to deliver market-ready products and services. 

Panel 2: Generative AI: Opportunities and Challenges

Given its broad topic, the first panel discussion did veer into AI. This meant that panellists of the second discussion reacted to some of these points when they took to the stage. The panellists included Ms Lei Motilla, Co-Founder and Innovation Lead at AI4GOV; Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Deputy Executive Chairman of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Singapore and Director of the NUS AI Institute; and Professor Arnulfo Azcarraga from De La Salle University. Mr Nestor Precioso (Science ’06), Managing Director, TechMatch Asia Inc, served as moderator. 

In response to a comment made earlier, Ms Motilla addressed the question of skills that might be critical to employers in the private sector, in relation to AI. She disagreed with the assertion made during the first panel discussion that people would be motivated to learn based on simple transactional needs. “I believe we can be intentional on being transformational from the get-go, if we first reflect (on what we want to accomplish with AI), align our core values, connect it to others (in the wider community) and then (use AI to enrich our skills),” she said. On the point of enrichment, Prof Kankanhalli related an anecdote about how a novice computer programmer might be able to raise his skill level to mediocre using AI, but a skilled one would be able to exponentially raise his performance. 

Panel 3: Economics in ASEAN Under Geopolitical Rivalry

The subject of the third panel discussion centred on rising geopolitical rivalry, reflecting the dynamic landscape of global politics and economic development. Moderated by Li Ka Shing Professor of Economics Danny Quah, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) at NUS, the panellists included Justice Antonio Carpio, Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines; Professor Albert Park, Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank; and Dr Maria Thaemar C Tana (Arts & Social Sciences ’19), Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Prof Quah set the tone when he noted that ASEAN can help in this “hugely consequential” arena where there is a danger of a ‘might-makes-right’ attitude trumping the rules-based order that has benefitted the region. 

Following statements from the panellists, Prof Quah opened the floor for audience questions, which took up roughly half of the session. In reference to a question on ASEAN, Dr Tana noted that there are several areas that the organisation could make an impact. Prof Quah sounded an optimistic note when he noted that ASEAN has been successful in keeping the peace among its member states.

Supported by the NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Manila, the half-day forum was attended by more than 100 NUS alumni residing in the Metropolitan Manila area. Other notable attendees included members of the Philippine government and leaders from prominent Philippine universities, such as Dr Arsenio Balisacan, Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority; and Father Roberto Yap, President of Ateneo de Manila University.

The event concluded with the NUS Alumni & Friends Dinner, where alumni, partners and staff gathered to reconnect. Given a significant number of LKYSPP alumni in the Philippines, the dinner also celebrated the School’s 20^th anniversary.

In her welcome remarks, Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Arts & Social Sciences ’89), NUS Chief Alumni Officer, stated, “Bringing together diverse voices and perspectives often generates the best ideas… something that NUS is uniquely positioned to do, given the rich diversity and geographic reach of our alumni.”

Acknowledgements were extended to the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in the Philippines, the NUS alumni network in Manila, and key individuals such as Mr Richard Domingo Tan, Chairperson of the NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Manila (Public Policy ’13), for their pivotal roles in organising this successful event.

In his own address, Mr Tan caught the audience up on what the Manila chapter had been up to. “From 2022 up to the present, we have managed to initiate more than a dozen networking gatherings and activities with a cumulative participation of at least 350 alumni. Several of these gatherings were through invitations and partnerships with the Singapore Embassy in Manila,” he said.