Are innovation hubs built, or do they evolve out of necessity?

That’s the question facing Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, president and CEO of Johor Corporation (or JCorp), the principal development institution for the Malaysian state of Johor. The area is home to a new special economic zone along the border with neighboring Singapore, hoping to tap the city-state’s capital, talent and international connections to spur new investments in Malaysia.

“We are mindful of the fact that the critical building blocks in an innovation ecosystem are not really there in Johor,” Syed Mohamed explained during the Fortune Innovation Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday. “But in Singapore, there are.”

Citing successful case studies like Barcelona, Shenzhen, and Silicon Valley, he identified thre

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