RBS Memorial Lecture and the Announcement of the Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Research Grant Recipient 2023

The Academy of Sciences Malaysia is privileged today to have the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, YB Tuan Chang Lih Kang, grace the Announcement of the 2023 Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Research Grant Recipient event.

YB Tuan Chang Lih Kang, in his speech, highlighted that The Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Medical Trust Fund has provided a continuous source of financing that enables deserving young researchers to pursue their passion. These philanthropic contributions are one of the categories of alternative funding for research, development and innovation being pursued under the Malaysia Science Endowment (MSE) passed by Parliament on 4 August 2022, with ASM as the implementing entity under the purview of MOSTI.

In the latest development, MOSTI with ASM is actively developing a fundraising mechanism to establish MSE to raise RM2 billion endowment fund. The initiative is crucial in reducing dependence on government funding for the country’s research and development (R&D).

At the event, Dr Fazren Azmi, senior lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, was named the recipient of the 2023 Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Research Grant. Dr Fazren was awarded a grant worth RM50,000 to further his research titled “Bioengineered-Microalgae Oil Droplet as a Production Platform of Advanced Immunogenic Protein Particles for Intranasal COVID-19 Nanovaccine Formulation.”

Earlier during the event, Professor Teo Yik Ying, the Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, delivered a Memorial Lecture titled “Promise (and over promise) of Precision Public Health.” The lecture delved into the potential of precision technologies through the lens of public health, considering implementation science, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness.

Since its inception in 1997, the Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh Medical Research Trust Fund has funded 27 research projects and 11 technical workshops. It was an initiative by the late Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh, an extraordinary visionary and philanthropist in the medical and health sciences field.