KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — The Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) is currently working to strengthen the national vaccine ecosystem to ensure Malaysia is ready to face any pandemic threat in the future, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
To achieve the goal, its minister Chang Lih Kang said it would focus on producing vaccines for humans through improved collaborations between agencies and industry, both at home and abroad.
“A discussion with the industry was also held yesterday, among other things, to ensure that training related to the production of human vaccines also involves other stakeholders. This is because the provision of capacity at the manufacturing level is one of the important elements in the production of the vaccine.
“Having a relationship with the industry is important for scientists at Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute (MGVI) and the National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia (NIBM) to receive direct training from global vaccine producers,” he said.
Chang was speaking during the committee-level debate wind-up on the Supply Bill 2024 for the ministry.
As of October, Mosti’s strategic agency Mimos (the national applied research and development centre) had registered 1,387 patents with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).
Additionally, 959 patents were registered internationally under the Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Of these, 343 patents have been implemented in ICT solution projects for public and private sectors and have been successfully commercialised.
— Bernama