BiotechCorp and SEDIA leap into Collaborative Efforts to uplift BioEconomy focus areas

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Thursday, 30 August 2012 ~ Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) has propelled further in the implementation efforts of Bioeconomy Initiative Malaysia through a collaboration with Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA). The collaboration was sealed during the Bioeconomy update in ‘Sabah Development Corridor (SDC)’ event organized by SEDIA.

In attendance were the Chief Minister of Sabah, YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Hj. Aman, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, YBhg Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Maximus Ongkili, Chairman of BiotechCorp, YBhg Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, President/Chief Executive of Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) YBhg Datuk Dr. Mohd Yaakub Hj. Johari, and Chief Executive Officer of BiotechCorp, YBhg Dato’ Dr. Mohd Nazlee Kamal.

“BiotechCorp is excited about the milestones witnessed today which add vibrancy to the industry’s developments. This event is very significant to the BIM agenda of the nation launched last year, fortifying strategies with Sabah that seek to form Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020. I am pleased that this bioeconomy event strings together the essence of the industry’s innovative perspectives and strategies to further benefit Malaysia’s economy, welfare, productivity, environmental and societal well-being”, commented CEO of BiotechCorp, Dato’ Dr. Nazlee Kamal.

Through BIM, bioeconomy is well-positioned as a “sustainable economy” for Malaysia, encompassing all industries and economic sectors that produce, manage and utilize biological resources, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food, wellness, chemicals and renewable energy.

BIM will also tap into the unrealised application of locally developed technologies and discoveries, and reconcile the urgent need to focus on technology that utilises renewable resources.

“We see SEDIA’s collaboration and support in pushing the industry towards the opportunities of wealth creation advantageous in promoting Sabah as an attractive investment destination with its rich agricultural and biodiversity resources. The measures taken in creating new linkages between industry players and SEDIA’s economic clusters will open up new avenues to reinforce the industry’s dominance to achieve a resilient and sustainable economy. We aim to secure more local and international cooperations to jointly develop projects and to assist each other with our best efforts to deliver an impactful outcome. We want to emulate such cooperation with the other corridors,” added Dato’ Dr. Nazlee.

The event also saw several collaborations signed and exchanged involving BiotechCorp, SEDIA and other parties witnessed by the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Hj. Aman, and the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Maximus Ongkili.

i) The exchange of Collaboration Agreement between SEDIA and BiotechCorp which covers developments in the areas of Agriculture Biotechnology, Healthcare Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Human Capital Development and BioNexus Development. The Agriculture biotechnology agreement encompasses collaborations for an aquaculture project in Semporna and Kudat, development of temperate highland crops in Kundasang, as well as the development chain of premium crop foods which utilizes the latest biotechnology platform in Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct (SAIP). Development of the biorefinery complex in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Sandakan have been proposed under the Industrial biotechnology agreement, while exploration of a high quality halal bovine Low Molecular Weight Heparin will be looked into to enhance the Healthcare biotechnology sector.

ii) Exchange of Collaboration Agreement for the Lembah Danum Project between the National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia, Yayasan Sabah and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The Project will see the setting up of a comprehensive bioprospecting programme and the setting up of mirror biorepositories in Lembah Danum and NIBM with a phase of funding of RM1 million form MOSTI.

iii) Exchange of Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement between SEDIA, BiotechCorp and Terra Garden Biotech to regulate disclosures of confidential information in relation to the agro-biotech project in Sabah on commercial cultivation of papaya.

The event also witnessed the handing over of the “Proboscis Genome Data” to Universiti Malaysia Sabah by the Malaysia Genome Institute, a component institute of the National institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia, as custodian of the Proboscis data repository and the announcement of the formation of a National Proboscis Functional Genomics consortium. The sequencing and assembly of the Proboscis genome was completed by The Malaysian Genome Resource Centre, a Bionexus status bioinformatics company listed on the Malaysian Stock exchange through a grant by MOSTI.

A progress development on the BIM was also presented by the CEO of BiotechCorp,Dato’ Dr. Mohd Nazlee Kamal during the event followed by a presentation on the Biotechnology Initiatives in SDC by the Vice President of SEDIA, Mary Sintoh.