打造创新生态环境

 　　Developing an Ecosystem¹ of Innovation

　　I recently joined the second annual “Asia-Global Dialogue” held by one of Hong Kong’s leading think tanks, the Fung Global Institute. The two-day event brought together opinion leaders from business, academia and government from Hong Kong, China, and around the world.

　　最近，我出席了由香港著名智库经纶国际经济研究院举办的第二届年度“亚洲—— 全球对话”。这次活动为期两天，来自香港、内地和全球的商界、学界和政界意见领袖们汇聚一堂。

　　One particularly thought-provoking session was “Innovation and Business Opportunity — Can Asia Lead?”

　　对话中有一个环节特别发人深省，主题是“创新与商业机遇——亚洲能领先吗？”

　　Since there is not much debate about whether Asia can continue to lead the world in terms of business opportunity, the real focus of the panel discussion was on whether Asia can take the lead in global innovation.

　　鉴于人们对亚洲能否继续引领世界商业机遇方面没有太多争议，这个分论坛的焦点就集中在亚洲能否领跑全球创新的问题上。

　　This question obviously butts³ up against a host of issues involving education and culture in Asia, which although different in each country, seem to share some similarities. Some of these systemic traits tend to obstruct⁴ the development of an innovative⁵ eco-system.

　　显然，这个问题与很多涉及亚洲教育及文化的事务密不可分。尽管各国的国情有所不同，但在这方面都有一些共通之处，某些体制上的特性会对创新生态环境的建立形成阻碍。

　　The moderator, Professor Dutta of Cornell’s Graduate School of Management, told the story of his recent visit to Stanford University, where he learned that many undergraduates there now receive recruitment overtures⁶ from Silicon⁷ Valley companies. The idea is not that they wait until obtaining their degree, but drop out of Stanford and join the company now.

　　分论坛主持人，康奈尔大学管理研究生院的Dutta教授告诉大家，他最近去了斯坦福大学，发现那儿有很多在校本科生都已收到硅谷企业的工作邀请。这些学生不打算等到毕业拿文凭，就想先退学上班去了。

　　The question then turned to what it would take for China, India, Korea or other Asian countries to create their own Silicon Valley. In terms of education, Asian countries clearly excel in producing graduates who are strong in math and sciences. The bigger question is how to enhance their abilities in creativity, lateral⁸ thinking, teamwork, and the willingness to risk being seen to be wrong. This is obviously not just a question involving classroom education, but culture in a broader sense.

　　接下来的问题就是中国、印度、韩国以及其他亚洲国家将如何打造自己的硅谷。在教育方面，亚洲国家长于培养理科研究生，但更大的问题在于如何增强学生的创造性、发散性思维、团队合作能力，以及敢于试错的勇气。显然，这不只是课堂教育的问题，还涉及到更广泛的文化层面。

　　John Rice, the Hong Kong-based Vice⁹ Chairman of General Electric, said that 20% of GE’s 60,000 engineers are now software engineers; and that they have 4,000 engineers in China who are on a par² with any in the world. His perspective is that for MNCs, innovation is now a global process, requiring major and minor¹⁰ R&D centers around the world working together.

　　通用电气驻香港的副董事长庄睿思说，在通用电气的6万名工程师中，有20%是软件工程师。在中国，通用共有4,000名工程师，他们与世界其他地方的工程师相比毫不逊色。他认为对跨国企业来说，创新是全球化进程，需要世界各地大大小小的研发中心通力合作。

　　Jean Pascal Tricoire, the Chairman and CEO of another major MNC, Schneider Electric, who is also Hong Kong-based, said that 1/3 of his company’s R&D staff are now based in Asia. He echoed Rice’s comments about innovation being a global process for MNCs. He also observed that often the big breakthrough ideas come not from larger companies, but from smaller ones.

　　另一家大型跨国企业施耐德电气的总裁兼首席执行官、同样常驻香港的赵国华说，施耐德三分之一的研发人员都在亚洲。他同意庄睿思关于创新是全球化进程的观点，并指出突破性的创意往往诞生于小公司，而不是大公司。

　　Tricoire and his fellow panelists (including former Sony Chairman Nobuyuki Idei and Lawson Inc.’s CEO Takeshi Niinami) agreed on one thing. That is, that innovation is usually born of necessity. For Asia, one major trend which should be an engine of innovation is urbanization. This could be the best sector¹¹ of opportunity for Asia to lead the world in innovation.

　　赵国华和分论坛嘉宾（包括索尼前董事长出井伸之、罗森公司首席执行官Takeshi Niinami）一致同意，创新源自需求。对亚洲而言，城市化作为创新的主要推手已渐成趋势，将成为亚洲主导世界创新的最佳契机。

　　When asked what the “secret sauce” required to create an innovation eco-system was, panelists offered a variety of advice, centering around these points:

　　在回答什么才是打造创新生态环境的“秘方”时，与会嘉宾给出了不同的建议，归纳起来主要有下述几点：

　　? innovation is borne from diversity in the workplace; without diversity it is very difficult to develop

　　? 创新源自企业的多元化，缺少多元化就很难发展。

　　? innovation thrives in an environment of openness, where argumentation and failure are accepted as normal and good; one panelist used the term “freedom of speech” within the corporate¹² context, as an essential element

　　? 开放的环境有益于创新的蓬勃发展。所谓开放的环境是指能够正确对待争论和失败，并将其视为常态。有位嘉宾用“言论自由”来形容企业内部创新的关键。

　　? innovation often occurs at smaller companies, so a level playing field which enables these companies access to capital and a fair policy and tax environment is key

　　? 创新往往诞生于小公司，因此，一个能让小公司获得资金支持的公平的竞争平台，以及公平的政策和税收环境至关重要。

　　? cooperative bridges between leading research universities and the corporate world are important

　　? 一流研究院校和企业间的合作桥梁非常重要。

　　All in all, the panelists had a fairly optimistic take on Asia’s prospects¹³ for an innovation revolution, especially centered around the mass urbanization trend which is well underway. At the same time, there remains¹⁴ a lot of work to do to change long-established educational and cultural norms — not an easy task.

　　总之，与会嘉宾对亚洲未来的创新前景持乐观态度，特别是在城市化大规模展开的背景下。同时，改变长期形成的教育和文化模式依然任重而道远。(sibuxiang)

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

3 butts   

笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
• The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。

4 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

5 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

6 overtures   

n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲

参考例句：

• Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句

7 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

8 lateral   

adj.侧面的，旁边的

参考例句：

• An airfoil that controls lateral motion.能够控制横向飞行的机翼。
• Mr.Dawson walked into the court from a lateral door.道森先生从一个侧面的门走进法庭。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

13 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。