KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's 36th rank on Global Innovation Index (GII) does not reflect the country's potential, especially given its early foundation in innovation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
"I hope there will be a strong push and determination within our country to elevate this ranking in any way possible," he said at the launch of Malaysia Commercialization (MCY) Summit 2024 here, today.
In the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2024, Malaysia is ranked among the top 30 ecosystems in the emerging ecosystems category.
Anwar acknowledged this achievement as a promising start but cautioned that other nations' initiatives and commitment highlight the vast opportunities Malaysia has yet to capitalise on.
"In my view, the KL20 master plan outlines what we have yet to achieve. "Therefore, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Mosti) needs to find ways and establish networks not only within the country but also internationally to reach this goal," he said.
Meanwhile, Mosti minister Chang Lih Kang said the government remains committed and serious about enhancing the nation's innovation ecosystem.
In this regard, he said Malaysia's performance in the GII has been established as a Generic Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for assessing the performance of Senior Management Officers in the Public Service (PPTPA) since 2022.
"At the same time, Mosti is working on developing the Malaysia Innovation Index (MII) as a measurement tool to support the planning of strategies and interventions aimed at improving innovation performance at the state level, ultimately contributing to the country's overall performance in the GII," he said. With the monitoring of these KPIs and initiatives, Chang believes it will encourage all parties—not only at the government, industry, and academia levels, but also with the involvement of the general public—to play their respective roles in contributing to the country's improvement in the GII ranking.
This will make Malaysia stand on par with other developed nations, he added.
MY24 summit with the theme "Leading The Regional Innovation," aims to celebrate and accelerate the commercialisation of research, development and innovation (R&D&I) in Malaysia, driving the nation toward becoming a regional leader in innovation.
Throughout the two days summit, various activities were also organised including panel sessions, power talks, satellite events, the exhibition of local R&D&I products and social entrepreneurship and business matching opportunities organised by MRANTI with over 10 investors.
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