13 September 2017, Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia’s premier biotechnology event BioMalaysia & Asia Pacific Bioeconomy 2017, ended today, after 3 days of Forums and Exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The event was officiated by the Secretary General of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI), Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhar bin Yahaya on 17 Septamber 2017 on behalf of the MOSTI Minister, Datuk Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau.
BioMalaysia & Asia Pacific Bioeconomy 2017 was jointly organized by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (Bioeconomy Corporation) an agency under the purview of MOSTI and MyEvents International. Themed “Bioeconomy: Driving Growth and Prosperity of the Nation”, the biotechnology annual forums and exhibition attracted more than 6,000 visitors and featured discussion topics related to bioeconomy, bioplastics, bioagropreneur, biologics, funding and expansion of businesses to the global markets, as well as the way forward for bio-based industries for Asia Pacific.
The forums showcased biotechnology experts who presented their findings, latest opportunities, business methods, market access and funding opportunities within the bio-based and biotechnology industry. Among the speakers at BioMalaysia 2017 were Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhar Haji Yahaya, Professor Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid and Dr Mohd Shuhaizam Mohd Zain. Presentations were carried out during the 3-day event from RQuest Convergent, BioAlpha, Blubear Holdings & Melaka Biotech. The event fostered partnerships among industry players to establish stronger bioeconomy ties in the region, and served as a catalyst to position Malaysia as the prime bioeconomy and biotechnology center in the Asia Pacific region.
“During BioMalaysia 2017, we saw potential trade and cooperation in various areas to benefit the society. 8 BioNexus companies unveiled 8 new products at our event. From the 286 BioNexus status companies, 37 companies have gone global. We would like to get as many companies as possible to venture out globally in terms of partnerships, building business-to-business relationships, and getting the products to those countries and vice versa. This is a way for Malaysia to improve our global competitiveness in the Asia Pacific region and this is the spirit we are looking to bring next year,” said Dr Mohd Shuhaizam Mohd Zain, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation during the wrap up press conference of BioMalaysia 2017.
BioMalaysia has always been used as a platform to announce collaborations involving various industry participants. This year 3 significant collaborations involving 6 companies and organisations were made during the opening ceremony, which have the potential to boost the bioeconomy sectors in Malaysia. Among the strategic collaborations and partnership exchanged during the opening ceremony were with Rural Asset Group of Companies & Oudhcom LLC, University Putra Malaysia & Malaysian Vaccine & Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd and Algaetech & Watson Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the BioMalaysia Exhibition saw the participation of 67 companies involving 120 exhibition booths. In conjunction with BioMalaysia, several sideline events were held by Bioeconomy Corporation to strengthen the bioeconomy ecosystem and bio-entrepreneurial efforts in Malaysia, as well as to encourage the commercialisation of local innovative bio-based products and increase human capital in the sector.
Another highlight of the event was the Bioeconomy Innovation Awards 2017 which gave out 30 awards to research institutes and universities for their excellence . Held on 12th September, the award ceremony provided a platform to promote the latest biotechnology achievements as well as the commercialisation of biotechnology research findings, products and services. With the 15th year of BioMalaysia 2017, the award ceremony was an opportunity to highlight the success and achievements attained in the bio-based industries.
