MALAYSIAN PM ANNOUNCES 23 ECOSYSTEM AND WEALTH CREATION INITIATIVES

PUTRAJAYA, April 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak Tuesday
announced 23 ecosystem and wealth creation initiatives which will attract
billions of ringgit in investment and unearth even more of the nation's
intellectual wealth.

Launching it as an "Innovation Lift-Off", he said, it was a new direction
that will positively impact wealth creation.

"Their spill-over effects will be far reaching and will enhance the
technical and business skills of the entire supply chain.

"Unlike research and development initiatives, these innovation projects have
attracted customers internationally even before their launch," he said when
launching the initiatives Tuesday.

Najib also witnessed the strategic alliance signing between the respective
partners and Unit Inovasi Khas (UNIK) which comes under the purview of the Prime
Minister's Office, to commercialise the ventures.

He reiterated that innovation was an integral component of the government's
objective in laying the foundation for Malaysia 2021 and beyond.

The projects have been divided into three categories -- new wealth creation;
intellectual property from universities; and public research institutes; and
eco-system initiatives.

Under the new wealth creation segment, there is one strategic impact
project, which is the oil palm biomass roadmap to Malaysia and four ground-up
projects -- electricity from every window, energy dashboard for energy
management for the future; enabling small businesses to go cashless; and
cutting-edge technology for LED industry.

The global market for the said wealth creation sector is estimated to be
US$472 billion (RM1.46 trillion) and carving a niche in this segment could be
lucrative for Malaysia.

Initiatives and collaborations with universities and public research
institutes include a pilot project from USM called the "Collagen Search Engine"
that gives users incredibly accurate search results.

The global market for the ventures initiated by universities and public
research institutes is said to amount US$101 billion (RM316 billion) globally.

These projects are expected to set the tone for universities to emerge from
their silo mentality and tear down the walls that limits their outlook,
encouraging professors and teaching staff to embrate and entrepreneurial bent
instead of merely publishing papers and securing research grants.

Najib said eight projects that originated from research and public
universities provided a glimpse of the expertise that lies among Malaysian
scientists and more.

Gems are expected to be discovered and commercialised, he said.

He stressed that the innovation eco-system projects launched would create
the environment for innovation to thrive and prosper, benefiting sectors such
as education, higher education, industries and entrepreneurship.

"These initiatives will forge sustainable innovation through collaboration
between academics, the private sector and government and will be undertaken
jointly by both local and foreign players as innovation does not function well
in isolation," he said.

Najib said it was his responsibility to do everything possible to ensure
future generations of the country's exist as equal with the greatest citizen of
the world.

He pointed out that it was necessary to have a mindset and attitude change
in order to have a mental transformation that addresses Malaysia's challenges.

"This is not going to be easy, for change seldom is. To become an innovative
nation, we need a mental transformation in government, in industry and in the
education sector. This is to shape the attitude of our future generations. This
is our mission," he said.

Innovation has been identified as the main mechanism to improve Malaysia's
competitiveness and to attain the objectives of the New Economic Model, which is
in line with the commitment to jump-start the national innovation agenda and the
Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme
(ETP).

Najib had in July last year announced the establishment of the Special
Innovation Unit (UNIK) to promote innovation.

Over the past eight months, UNIK in its quest to achieve an
innovation-driven economy in Malaysia encompassing the entire chain and
ecosystems, has worked hard to identify new discoveries, play the role of the
"enabler" between innovators and business entities and helped draw out business
plan and marketing strategies.

UNIK, taking the cue from the Prime Minister, has been responsible for
creating a conducive ecosystem to propel the development of innovation in
Malaysia including promoting innovations in the public sector, educational
institutions and private sector corporations.

Some of the other ecosystem projects includes the MyMap Innovation
Accelerator Lab as Monash University Sunway Campus is to undertake research,
mapping and identification of medicinal and aromatic plants towards achieving
sustainable farming and product commercialisation.

This initiative also involves MARDI in terms of land and research and also
Tanamera Tropical Spa Sdn Bhd as a customer.