Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA), in cooperation with UNESCO, IBM and INSEAD InnovAsia, is proud to convene InnovAsia 2005, Asia’s first Regional Conference and Exhibition on Innovation Management.

This will be the first ever conference and exhibition on this theme to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, and will take place on 21-23 September 2005 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand.

Since innovation is an overarching theme, fundamental to both individual and organizational growth, InnovAsia 2005 aims to offer a unique forum for interaction between global players in all concerned spheres of activity. We welcome participants from all spheres of technology and business, and from all sectors- public, private, academia, NGO and the international community.

This broad stakeholder involvement and interaction will be needed to generate the basis for workable recommendations and a practical action plan to stimulate innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite all the economic turbulence, Asia has experienced robust overall economic growth in the last decade. This is due at least in part to the ability to adapt and innovate in a fast-changing economic and technological climate. But to survive and compete in a truly globalized economy, Asia must be willing to embrace more radical changes to its current business environment.

The theme of the first Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Innovation Management, InnovAsia 2005, emphasizes Asia's bright outlook and the structural changes which are needed in order to realize its potential. Innovation has become a core business process in modern enterprises and is key to staying competitive in a globalized economy.

But innovation is not only needed in the private sector. Public sector R&D and educational institutions involved in science and technology are subject to the same drivers as private corporations with respect to product and service differentiation, and market definition.

In most ASEAN countries, there is a need to strengthen government and institutional support for fostering innovation. Although this need to stimulate a culture of innovation is widely recognized, there is relatively little formal training and education to stimulate creativity and guide the complex process of turning an idea into a marketable product or revenue stream.

With the exception of Singapore, fragmented systems for technology and innovation development in the region have significantly held back ASEAN countries in their efforts to catch up with the more developed countries.