How one can learn to become an entrepreneur

Give the young lots of freedom and teach them to rise to the challenge, says Nobel laureate Lee Yuan Tseh

Q: YOU were born and educated in Taiwan. But you won your Nobel prize for your work in America, as did the other five ethnic Chinese Nobel winners from China, Taiwan and Hongkong. Why is this so? Can Asia nurture its own winners?

A: You need a good supporting environment, which America provides, to do world-class research. You need to make breakthroughs that start with a student telling his mentor: "You might be wrong!"

America's open society nurtures that spirit of scepticism and the freedom to challenge the "accepted" views. That is why so many Nobel winners are from America.

Creativity can be nurtured but discoveries cannot be planned.

Still, you can prepare a fertile soil so that when that rare spark flies, the idea can grow and bear fruit.

This is what I have been doing at Taiwan's Academia Sinica for the last five years -- recruiting world-class academics who are the masters in their fields to guide our young researchers, and supporting them with the best equipment, plenty of resources, and a system that lets the winners shine.

Q: How can Singaporeans develop the entrepreneurial spirit?

A: I believe entrepreneurship can be learned. Instead of moulding the young into "goody-goodies", you give them a lot of freedom and teach them to rise to the challenge.

Many American campuses put a special emphasis on this.

If I were a minister here, I would send students to places like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology, which have trained lots of entrepreneurs successfully.

That was what Taiwan did unknowingly. Many went to the United States to study and returned wanting to be their own bosses.

Q: Drawing from your experience in the United States, how do you see Singapore's moves to attract foreign talent here?

A: After World War II, America welcomed top talents from the world with open arms to help it grow and expand -- to its great advantage.

It was not just its wealth that made America so appealing, but its free and equal democratic society.

Not many Asian nations can boast of the same attributes.

Singapore is small, so you cannot absorb too much foreign talent without stress on your population. So, nurturing your own talent is very important, and a good education system is critical.

Q: How do you attract young people into science and technology?

A: First, you have to let young people know what science is all about.

Many stay away from science because they think scientists work too hard. They do not know that doing research is exhilarating -- like exploring a virgin forest.

With so much emphasis in the education system on competition -- in passing examinations and entering the best schools -- not enough attention is being given to nurturing creativity.

A really creative person would want to be a scientist, not a banker.

Q: Malaysia, Hongkong and Singapore have joined the IT race. Is there room for all or is it a zero-sum game?

A: If everyone competes with the same technology, then it will be a zero-sum game. Competition is cruel. But if you are innovative or have a breakthrough, then you can do very well.

The most crucial competitive factor is the education level of your labour force and productivity which will decide whether you can transform yourself into a knowledge economy and attract foreign investors.

Still, size and critical mass count in the game of competition. That is why Taiwan has made many alliances in the US and Europe. This way, everyone wins.

If Singapore wants to fight it alone, I think the chances of success are small.

Australia could be a good partner for Singapore. The Australians do very good research, although they have not been able to convert research results into technology as well as the Americans.

Q: Do you have any concerns about the global high-tech economy?

A: As a scientist, I am concerned that we will be seeing more technological conflicts between nations. I share the results of my research with whoever is interested and without reservations. But increasingly, the line is blurring between scientific research and the development of technology, which is protected by intellectual property rights and patents. So competition and conflict can only become sharper.

Industrial giants like IBM and AT&T used to share their basic research with the world, which the Japanese converted cleverly into technical applications in the past. Now, Japan is finding it harder to gain access to such information and is investing in its own research.

This trend will hurt the smaller nations. With all the competition going on, I often wonder -- where are we heading to?

Q: Right, where are we heading to?

A: Everyone is too preoccupied with competing and winning. With worsening global warming and the big ozone hole, we should stop to think what future we will have, or if there is any future.

The world's population has quadrupled in this century and human activity has intensified. Our planet is finite -- the atmosphere, our earth and ocean can no longer absorb and recycle all the toxins we produce.

America is the worst culprit -- with 5 per cent of the world's population but consuming 30 per cent of the energy. It is the leading producer of carbon dioxide, which is causing global warming.

Asia cannot follow the Western model of progress blindly. I think the Confucianist philosophy of being one with nature is far better.

Q: So what can we do about this?

A: My advice -- reduce the use of fossil fuels, by using fewer cars, more public transport; work on improving energy efficiency and renewal, for example, by using solar energy; and opt for a simpler lifestyle.

I am not a pessimist, I think people's attitudes and lifestyles can be changed through education.

I believe we will not only learn to live with nature but also with each other in a global village setting.