The I-CONNECT and Malaysia Open Science Platform (MOSP) initiatives were officiated by the Minister of MESTECC, YB Puan Yeo Bee Yin, during a Launching Ceremony held on 7 November 2019 at the Putrajaya Convention Centre (PICC).
The I-CONNECT and MOSP Initiatives will be led by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) to promote a platform of collaboration by the quadruple helix in science and technology for scientific exchange, networking as well as to come up with innovative solutions for Malaysia.
Also present during the ceremony were YB Puan Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, Deputy Minister of MESTECC; YBhg Datuk Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, Director General of Higher Education, representing Minister of Education Malaysia; YBhg Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail FASc, President of ASM, YM Academician Tengku Datuk Dr Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen FASc, ASM Vice President and Chair of I-CONNECT Steering Committee; YBrs Professor Dr Noorsaadah Abdul Rahman FASc, Chairperson of MOSP; and YBrs Puan Hazami Habib, CEO of ASM.
Alongside the Launching Ceremony, an Introductory Session and Exploratory Discourse was held to acquaint participants with I-CONNECT and MOSP, respectively.
“I-CONNECT is an industry-led collaborative innovation network which aims to create and nurture a conducive innovation ecosystem in Malaysia, towards increasing disruptive innovation and expanding the global reach of Malaysia’s strategic industries.” Said Professor Datuk Asma Ismail FASc. She continued, “MOSP will complement I-CONNECT by enabling accessibility and sharing of research data relevant to national priorities.”
Collaborative innovation is an important strategy that has been widely adopted by mature economies to drive their economic growth through collaborative innovation. Countries can capitalise on new economic opportunities in Science Technology and Innovation (STI)-based industries to meet the needs of emerging markets and maintaining relevance in global market segments.
The innovation ecosystem forged by I-CONNECT is vibrant with collaborative networks that benefit innovation capacity and sustain a network of players among the quadruple helix comprising academia, civil society, government and industry.
I-CONNECT pushes for the development of a shared vision to unite the quadruple helix under a trusted neutral entity. Neutral entities under I-CONNECT will serve as innovation intermediaries or accelerators that will orchestrate the collaborative network among the players, harnessing data and information from all players for an efficient demand-driven R&D and market-driven delivery system.
I-CONNECT is slated to energise Malaysia’s industries to become more competitive and disruptive through demand-driven R&D and market-driven delivery system through the four potential focus areas: Industry 4.0, Fintech in Islamic Finances, Health & Wellness and Halal Supply Chain.
MOSP aims to make Malaysia’s research data a valuable, shared national asset through the development of a trusted platform. MOSP also enables accessibility and sharing of research data that are aligned to national priorities and international best practices.
In its first phase, MOSP will connect research data, researchers and publications between five Research Universities and 15 Research Institutes and Agencies under MESTECC.
MOSP will be led by the MOSP Alliance that will formulate the National Policy and Guidelines Management to create awareness as well as develop capacity and infrastructure for MOSP.
In the future, it is envisioned for MOSP to be linked to other global Open Science platforms to further enrich the national innovation ecosystem. All players are also welcomed to contribute to MOSP to build a Malaysia Open Science Community towards realising its vision of Open Science for Malaysia.