Abu Bakar (centre) accompanied by Suaidi (left) takes a closer look at a researcher’s innovation products. — Photos by jefferey Mostapa.
KUCHING: Only 8.3 per cent of national research and innovation products implemented during the 9th and 10th Malaysia Plan (MP) were commercialised.
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Abu Bakar Mohammad Diah said the government spent RM795 million into 1,675
approved research and development (R&D) projects during the period.
“However, only 487 were completed and unfortunately only 54 projects can be commercialised,” he said after opening Unimas’ R&D Expo 2015 at Detar Putra.
Abu Bakar said Malaysia aimed to achieve 15 per cent commercialisation rate by 2020.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had in the past budget announcement wanted 360 research and development (R&D) products to be commercialised by then (2020.
“More importantly, the identified projects for commercialisation must have high impact,” he added.
On the low success rate of commercialising innovation products, Abu Bakar said there was the need for greater efforts into commercialising research outputs as Malaysia strived to achieve the status of a high income and developed nation as envisioned in Vision 2020.
“We recognise that innovation is critical in generating high income for Malaysia,” he said.
As such, Abu Bakar said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) had intensified efforts to push for product commercialisation in 2014.
“Now, we have introduced the ‘Buy Back’ policy where we will allocate RM50 million to help commercial local high innovative products.
“We intend to buy products that have commercial value and supply them to our first customers – government departments and agencies – depending on their use and requirement,” he added.
Abu Bakar said Mosti also offered grants up to RM3 million under its TechnoFund scheme which provided funding for technology development, up to pre-commercialisation stage, with the commercial potential to create new businesses and generate economic wealth for the
nation.
“Other than that, we offer RM50,000 grant for social innovation project because we recognise that there are many projects to improve the well-being of communities.
“This is what we are trying to do this year – help people commercialise innovations that can generate income and in turn achieve our vision to become a high income nation by 2020,” he added.
Meanwhile, Unimas vice-chancellor Prof Dato Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said there were 130 research products being competed at the expo which was running into its eighth year, an increase of 70 products compared to last year,” he said.
Unimas’ commitment and initiative in the field of research and innovation, Suaidi said was recognisable especially in enhancing research culture at the university in line with the university’s vision to become an exemplary university of internationally acknowledged stature.
“Therefore, I hope researchers in Unimas are not only focused on creating research and innovation products but also enhance strategic collaborations with partners within and outside the country as well as to produce published journals that can increase the credibility of researchers,” he said.
Suaidi admitted that Unimas faced challenges in not only producing research and innovation products with high impact but commercialisation as well.
“The successful commercialisation of a research product is seen as a measure of achievement. Therefore, we must put more efforts and attention to our commitment and initiative to turn Unimas brand as a well-known, more visible, solid industrial recognition and community involvement,” he added.
The two-day expo, themed ‘Strengthening Research and Innovation for Communities Sustainability’ was a platform for the selection of research projects that will represent Unimas in R&D exhibition in both national and international levels.