APO Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn (R) and STEPI Vice President Tae-Jeong Ha (L)

On 15 May 2019, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) of the ROK. Under the MOU, they will cooperate in designing national science, technology, and innovation policies (STIPs) for APO member countries. The MOU was signed by APO Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn and STEPI Vice President Tae-Jeong Ha on behalf of STEPI President Hwang-Hee Cho in Sejong, ROK.

The initiative will assist member countries in creating comprehensive STIP master plans under the APO’s Specific National Program (SNP). Secretary-General Dr. Santhi pointed out that, “A comprehensive national plan including innovation policy can boost overall productivity. In addition to national master plans for productivity, the APO is also contributing to STIPs initiatives in its members. This collaboration with STEPI, which has more than 30 years of experience as a national policy advisory institute in the ROK, can be of great help to our member countries.”

STEPI also believes that collaboration with the APO can contribute significantly to the Asia-Pacific region. The APO and STEPI plan to begin joint activities from this year through the SNP. STEPI Vice President Ha added that, “Establishing a good national policy for innovation is like having a good textbook; it boils down to how to tailor it according to the needs of each member country and ensuring implementation, since a national policy should not be a wish list.”