The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) has registered 88 types of technologies that includes Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced analytics systems, machine learning, blockchain, advanced materials and sensor technology.
On August 19 last year, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin launched the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS).
“When I presented the idea of NTIS to the National Economic Action Council, my reasons were twofold. First, I wanted to champion local innovation and wanted to create a smoother pathway for Malaysian technology to get to market.
Second, I wanted to use NTIS as a testbed for disruptive technologies that would enable Malaysia to solve some of our grand challenges that have been intensified by Covid-19,” Minister of MOSTI, Khairy Jamaluddin said.
The approved projects represent some of Malaysia’s most cutting-edge innovation to tackle problem statements within the key pain points that have been identified by MOSTI.
Some of the highlighted projects are;
- Delivery and sanitation robots that can be deployed in healthcare and facilities maintenance.
- Developing drone usage for agriculture that can increase yield and reduce the need for foreign workers in the commodities and agricultural sector.
- Blockchain for authenticating education certificates and encryption for quick immigration clearance
- Bioscience for wastewater treatment
“Although it is in the early days, I am excited about the future of Malaysian technology and innovation that will be channelled through NTIS. We are also continuously improving the processing to cut short evaluation time and reduce bureaucracy,” Khairy added.
NTIS is open for applications on a rolling basis and Malaysian innovators looking to develop and commercialise technology solutions to solve national challenges are welcome to apply at sandbox.gov.my.
