Johor rising stature as a strong economic state is competing with Selangor as the most developed state in the country, the growth down South can be summed up as phenomenal. With large scale development and increased foreign investment, Johor has many things going for it with Iskandar Investment, who has been instrumental in some of the investment including the development of Medini Iskandar and a whole new exciting prospect awaits on the digital space.
In view of this, with the collaboration of Malaysian Technology Development Corporation, Iskandar Investment is aiming to transform Medini into a Digital Hub for the Southern State. To begin, MTDC will be establishing a Robotics Centre of Excellence as part of the effort to accelerate the growth of IR4.0 in Johor. This will undoubtedly be a major establishment for the state, giving potential for multiple possibilities including being magnet for talents drawing high skill job opportunity.
The collaborative project includes initiatives to facilitate and support activities in line with MTDC’s Centre of 9 Pillars, aimed at creating a community-in-practice that would be able to offer local companies affordable and impactful Industry 4.0 solutions. According to IIB’s President and CEO, Datuk Khairil Anwar Ahmad the establishment of the Robotics CoE aims to develop 200 technopreneurs in Iskandar Puteri in the next five years. This will be attained through programmes under Iskandar NEXT namely the Iskandar Innovation Hub and Drone and Robotics Zone (‘DRZ’) Iskandar. In efforts to attract interest parties, Iskandar Investment would provide access to markets for commercialisation opportunities, advisory services for funding, access to industry mentors, create visibility, awareness and provide relevant regulatory facilitation.
The Robotics CoE will be the first of MTDC’s Centre of 9 Pillars collaboration with the investment arm in the Southern Region, and its purpose will be to provide a platform for local Industry 4.0 solution providers to develop, grow and offer their services and innovative Industry 4.0 solutions to various industry sectors in Johor. MTDC has in its ecosystem, local companies that are already producing customised i4.0 solutions, including robotics, autonomous robots and drones that can be expanded into the Robotics CoE. This collaboration will also boost the immense potential to develop local talents to be i4.0 ready and assist to achieve the digital transformation agenda as part of the Iskandar’s main initiative.
With the setting of the centre, MTDC can now introduce its talent development programs for SMEs, universities, entrepreneurs and innovators in the state. The Robotics CoE will offer programs to further support the DRZ Iskandar initiatives, a regional drone and robotic zone to create a drone and robotics eco-system in Iskandar Puteri which has the potential to become a growth engine, technology leader and talent hub for Malaysia and APAC.
This collaboration is part of Iskandar NEXT – Innovation Hub to develop and implement IR4.0-based technology ecosystems in support of Johor Vision 2030 and National MyDigital Blueprint. This was further evidenced by the setting up of Malaysia’s first drone and robotics hub, the Drone and Robotics Zone (DRZ) Iskandar in December 2020. DRZ Iskandar was projected to bring in RM351mil of investment and generate 1,000 high-value jobs by 2025 in drone and robotics.
