June 2021

On 7 April 2021, the Mahathir Science Award Foundation (MSAF), the International Science Council, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ISC-ROAP), and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) jointly organized a webinar themed ‘Towards a Fairer and Healthier Tropics’ in conjunction with World Health Day.

Around 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the first phase of the vaccination programme in Malaysia (at the time of broadcast). The next phase will prioritise the elderly, people with comorbidities as well as those with disabilities. Dr Aizati Athirah moderated this Science Café session on looking beyond the COVID-19 vaccination. She was joined by Dr Leow Chiuan Yee from Universiti Sains Malaysia and Dr Irene Looi from Hospital Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang.

The second edition of the Malaysian Code of Responsible Conduct in Research (MCRCR) was launched on 29 March 2021. The launch occurred during the inaugural YSN-ASM International Scientific Virtual Conference 2021. The MCRCR was launched by Datuk Haji Ahmad Amzad Bin Hashim, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology And Innovation. According to Datuk Haji Ahmad Amzad, the MCRCR is crucial to boosting and safeguarding Malaysia’s science and research endeavours. “Adherence and compliance with the code will ensure that research in Malaysia is pursued earnestly and honestly, with integrity and accountability,” he continued. The code will also help convince peers, research enterprises and funders that research ethics are well-entrenched in Malaysia.