The World Science and Technology Forum opened at the Daejeon Convention Center today and was attended by some of the biggest names in science and economic theory.
Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Yanghee kicked off the week-long OECD Ministerial Meeting Daejeon 2015 and World Science and Technology Forum by greeting the international group of academics and industry leaders. As Chair of the OECD Ministerial Meeting Daejeon 2015, in this “Age of Science” he urged the international community to strive towards sustainable economic growth to create a common future through science, technology and innovation.
In his address, South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn pointed to the pivitol role of science and technology in Korea’s explosive GDP per capita growth, which in 1973 was the equivalent of $400. Korea is now a world leader in exports of semi-conductors, electronics, and petrochemical exports, among others. Today, he emphasized, science and technology is key to tackling some of the biggest issues facing the world, namely climate change and disease.
Jeremy Rifkin, author of dozens of highly regarded books on economic trends and social theories, began his keynote speech by remarking on the “disgraceful” fact that the wealthiest eighty individuals have an accumulated wealth of half the human population of the world. The crisis is compounded by stubborn unemployment around the world – caused by decreased productivity. His calls for new paradigms to deal with the myriad challenges of modern economy and society are based on ideas of a sharing economy, zero marginal cost, and IoT. Although still in their infancy, these ideas underlie a basic trend of modern day society: the democratization of knowledge. By rethinking our priorities in science and research to embrace these trends, Rifkin maintains that we will be able to create a “more ecological and humane society.”
Other keynote speeches were delivered by Nobel Prize winners Aaron Ciechanover, who spoke about the personalized medicine revolution, and Noyori Ryoji, who spoke about the need for science and technology innovations for our survival.
The OECD Ministerial Meetings, comprised of ministerial level representatives from over 50 countries, will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss science and technological innovation for national growth.