Leapfrogging the

Scientific and Technological Gap

STS WFY GROUP 6

Scientific and Technological

Roots of Crisis
S&T
Backwardness

lacks equipment
to process resources

being controlled
& exploited

dependency
on foreign techs &
capitals

Nature of Science and Technology

Science is a system of activities, which seek to describe, understand, and predict
natural phenomena.
Basic sciences include biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and earth sciences.
Research & Development are the core activities of science.
Research aims to acquire knowledge; may be pure or fundamental,
oriented basic, or applied.
Development turns research findings into prototype; inventions of
new materials, devices, etc.
Technology includes hardwares and softwares used in the production and distribution
of goods and services.
Hardwares include tools, equipment, machine, and materials.
Softwares include processes, techniques, organization, and management.
Technological innovation is the core activity of technology. It focuses on pre-investment
studies, investment decision, engineering design, tooling and construction of
manufacturing facilities, manufacturing start-up and marketing start-up.

Types of Technology
Materials technologies - extraction, processing, combination, synthesis of materials.
Equipment technologies - design and fabrication of tools, devices, instruments,
and machines.
Energy technologies - generation, conversion and distribution of various forms of energy.
Information technologies - collection, storage, processing, etc. of information.
Life technologies - preservation, repair, reproduction, etc. of living systems.
Management technologies - planning, organization, mobilization, etc. of social activities.

materials

equipment

life

energy

management

information

Levels of Scientific Sophistication

First-wave technologies - pre-industrial technologies - labor-intensive, small-scale
decentralized, based on empirical knowledge, etc; intermedia appropriate or alternative
technologies.
Second-wave technologies - industrial technologies developed since industrial revolution
up to the end of World War II; capital-intensive technologies; based on classical sciences.
Third-wave technologies - post-industrial or high technologies which are science-intensive
(based on modern scientific knowledge); micro-electronics, robotics, computers, etc.

first-wave

second-wave

third-wave

Endogenous and Exogenous Innovation

Endogenous technological innovation - local generation, development and utilization of
knowledge via the chain of activities: researchdevelopmentengineeringproduction
distribution.
Exogeneous technological innovation - importation of an existing technology, developed
elsewhere, through commercial or non-commercial transfer of technology.

Transfer of Technology
carried out through commercial arrangements between domestic firms and transnational
corporations (TNCs) or other foreign firms. Arrangements may take the following forms:
1. Marketing agreements
2. Licensing agreements
3. Direct investments
4. Joint ventures
5. Service contracts or management contracts
6. Purchase of complete industrial facilities from TNCs

Our Countrys Scientific and Technological

Potential
In 1980s, our potential turns out to be weak and negligible by the standards of the
advanced countries. Also the weakest among the ASEAN countries with the obvious
exception of Brunei.
More recently, by having been ranked as the 90th place in the 2013 Global Innovation
Index, companies developing tech-based solutions for consumers in emerging markets
see great opportunities in the Philippines. (http://techonomy.com/2014/03/techinnovation-takes-root-philippines/)

Our Countrys Stage of Technological

Capability
5 main stages of technological capability
1. Operative Capability imported technology into actual operation and
carrying out routine maintenance.
2. Adaptive Capability adapting a foreign technology through a modification
of its scale.
3. Replicative Capability reproduction of the major components of a
foreign-technology through endogenous technological innovation.
4. Innovative Capability making major significant modifications in the
basic design of an existing technology.
5. Creative Capability develop, design, and produce an entirely new and
revolutionary technology out of R&D findings.
We are still at the operative and adaptive stages with respect to second-wave technologies
and at the pre-operative and operative stages with respect to the third-wave technologies.
*we have to decide on which stage our country is at, right now*

Our Countrys Stage of Technological

Capability
Advanced countries are busy creating revolutionary high technologies for the 21st
century, while our poor country has not yet even acquired any significant ability to
replicate obsolete 19th century industrial technologies.
Lack of a genuine endogenous chemical industry, metals industry, machine tool industry,
pharmaceutical industry automotive industry, and electronic industry defines
our pre-industrial age. It is also underscored by the major R & D achievements
of the National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) in agriculture, industry,
and health during the past few years (sticks to old ways). (UPDATE: read:
http://www.omicsonline.org/proceedings/potential-and-future-of-science-andtechnology-and-innovation-development-in-the-philippines-and-the-asean-28455.html)

Inadequate Government Support for local

S&T
Reasons for the very slow development of Science and Technology in our country:
(1) lack of a strong government push for S & T development
(2) lack of an effective economic demand for local R & D and innovations.
*can we put church here?*

The Lack of Effective Demand for Local

S&T
Backwardness of the S&T system and the technological dependence of the production
system are both due to government development strategies and policies that have kept
our S&T system and production system trapped in the vicious cycle of backwardness
and dependence.

The Strategy of Technological

Leapfrogging
- the alternative national strategy for S&T development.
- attempt to liberate our country by importing selected high technologies to acquire
adaptive, replicative, and innovative mastery of these advanced technologies.
- selective transfer of technology to narrow the technological gap and attain technological
self-reliance.
- develop technological self-reliance from state-of-the-art technologies rather than from
indigenous and low-level technologies.

Mastering the Future

Technological Mastery connotes the following:
1. National expertise in scientific and technological knowledge.
2. National ascendancy in the international S & T arena.
3. National and human control over advanced technologies.

Mastering the Future

Technological Mastery connotes the following:
1. National expertise in scientific and technological knowledge.
2. National ascendancy in the international S & T arena.
3. National and human control over advanced technologies.
Our countrys long-term S&T objectives should be technological mastery at the level
of the advanced countries within 50 years, its medium-term objective should be
technological masters on par with that of the newly industrializing countries (NICs)
within 20 years, and its short term objective should be technological mastery on par
with that of our ASEAN neighbors within 10 years.
*the article was written in 1985, I think we haven't fully achieved these goals yet*