THE National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS), which was launched in 2020, has successfully supported local innovators to commercialise local products, technologies and innovations.
Led by the Science and Technology Ministry, with Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) as the main secretariat, NTIS is also supported by Mimos Bhd, Malaysia Technology Development Corpora- tion (MTDC) and Futurise Sdn Bhd.
Science and Technology Minister Chang Lih Kang said within two years, NTIS had successfully commercialised 24 innovations and brought in RM51.8 million in revenue.
"NTIS was established in line with the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2021-2030 and the ministry's efforts to reduce dependence on foreign labour, increase employment opportunities, increase gross domestic product and increase participation, investment and collaboration in research by the private sector, as well as the country's commercialisation rate," said Chang at a ceremony to celebrate the progress of NTIS and its two-year anniversary.
MRANTI chief executive officer Dzuleira Abu Bakar said the NTIS committee had been working hard to improve the strategy to transition to technology-based products effectively.
"Through NTIS, technology and innovation companies can advance their prototypes and proofs-of-concept in a controlled and safe environment.
"With stress testing and regulatory support, the time to market for a product can be shortened. Local technology solutions are accessible to more industries and local communities easily," she said.
In addition to financial assistance, the NTIS programme has facilitated regulation for 43 cases with 18 government agencies.
The NTIS programme is also supported by 50 partners in the Innovation Acceleration Network, who offer technology, test sites and funding mechanisms to potential innovators.
About 50 percent of companies that go through the NTIS programme have advanced their solutions in the agritech, medtech, biztech and fintech sectors.
A total of 10 sandbox sites have been created so far, with provisions for medical and healthcare solutions, agriculture and forestry, smart cities and transport, smart manufacturing, environment and biodiversity and others.
The NTIS programme provides a fast track for the development and live-testing of products based on technology drivers, including advanced intelligence systems, smart materials, advanced analysis and discovery technologies as well as drones and robotics.
NTIS' targets this year include the development of two sandbox sites, coordination of 70 start-ups and commercialisation of 20 products or solutions.
This is in line with the target set under the 12th Malaysia Plan, in which NTIS is expected to commercialise 100 products by 2025.
Chang said more jobs were expected to be created in the next two years due to the persistence of innovators in the country, who are becoming increasingly active.
A total of 244 job opportunities have now been created in addition to 24 solutions to address various challenges in the country.
For example, MSD Innovation Sdn Bhd, an agricultural technology company that uses the Smart Urban Farming system in six locations, has developed a Smart Urban Farming Training Manual that contains technical and entrepreneurship modules to engage B40 participants aged between 20 and 60 as smart farmers.
In addition, Poladrone (now Aonic), a drone technology developer, has received assistance to develop guidelines for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations and Civil Aviation Command (CAD) of agricultural UAS operations in the Air Work Certificate (AWC), which has created 30 job opportunities in agricultural drone operations.
Drone service provider company Meraque has successfully developed the first Hybrid Drone Spray Technology in the country through the NTIS programme.
Meraque was also directly involved in the Special Drone Services Emergency Task Force (PTK2Dron) coordinated by MRANTI and the ministry to assist in rescue missions when floods struck Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor in December 2021.
In the event, Chang launched the NTIS Two-Year Book and witnessed the signing of an agreement to cooperate between NTIS (represented by MRANTI), TimedotCom Bhd, the Innovation & Technology Managers Association and Asiatech.
For more information on NTIS, visit www.sandbox.gov.my.