• Malaysia’s BiotechCorp partners with Italy’s Assobiotec to boost investments in bio-based industry and strengthen research communities
• BiotechCorp launches 16 new products under BioShoppe at Expo Milano 2015

9TH JUNE 2015, MILAN, ITALY- Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp), the nation’s principal biotechnology development agency, partnered with Italy’s AssoBiotec today to foster greater collaborative ties between Malaysian and Italian bio-based businesses. The partnership will provide opportunities for both nations to share best practices, innovative development, processes and technologies of bio-based products.

In line with BiotechCorp’s continuous efforts to establish stronger international relations in the area of bioeconomy, the multi-disciplinary collaboration will open investment opportunities and enhance human capital development for the bio-based industry and research communities in Italy and Malaysia. The exchange of Collaboration Proposal was held during the Malaysia Bioeconomy Partnering Day in conjunction with Expo Milano 2015.

“Global cooperation is necessary to achieve the targets set by Malaysia’s National Biotechnology Policy (NBP), which is to fully realise the country’s natural biotechnology potential. I believe the collaboration between BiotechCorp and Assobiotec will contribute towards strengthening the role of bioeconomy in driving the country’s development and position Malaysia in the global arena as a biotechnology hub of excellence,” said the Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation of Malaysia (MOSTI), Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin, who officiated the partnering event.

“As the chair of ASEAN, this strategic partnership shows that Malaysia is on track to create a bioeconomy hub in Asia Pacific. Through our action plans like the Bioeconomy Transformation Programme (BTP), we are constantly driving global entrepreneurship and partnerships with foreign companies to strengthen the global ecosystem of bio-based industries. The BTP now boasts a total of 33 Trigger Projects that are expected to generate a total gross national income (GNI) of US$1.35 billion (RM5 billion) in 2020, provide 19,855 job opportunities and secure cumulative investments of US$4.3 billion (RM16 billion) by 2020,” said Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) Chief Executive Dato’ Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal.

BiotechCorp also launched 16 new herbal based products under BioShoppe, a wellness retail store promoting and selling natural based products by BioNexus Status companies at Expo Milano 2015.

“Bioeconomy is an important catalyst for economic growth. Malaysia’s expansion of BioShoppe to key nations globally not only strengthens the Malaysian bio-based industry in the international arena, but also drives the ASEAN agenda of boosting investment opportunities within the region,” added Dato’ Nazlee.
With Malaysia’s biodiversity and abundance of biological resources, bioeconomy has the potential to increase the country’s economic competitiveness while addressing environmental and sustainability concerns. BioShoppe’s penetration to the global biotechnology market is a key approach taken by BiotechCorp to enhance market access and build international presence for local biotech products, elevating the status of BioNexus status companies in Malaysia. The products launched at Expo Milano feature popular traditional herbs from Malaysia as their key ingredients including Kacip Fatimah, Tongkat Ali, Misai Kucing and Dukung Anak amongst others. The products are aimed to generate interest from retailers, distributors and businesses from the European market.

For more information about BioShoppe products and BiotechCorp’s development, please visit https://www.facebook.com/BioShoppe2014