●     National Technology and Innovation Sandbox spurs 27 companies to commercial readiness, with RM87.2 million sales value generated

●     191 Companies accelerated since 2020 through 11 Sandboxes

●     Global Market Fit Programme (GMP) advances 81 companies to 11 destinations

●     Two more destinations will be explored under GMP and two sandboxes under NTIS  to be launched for early and mid-stage innovators in 2024

28 November 2023, Kuala Lumpur  - A rapidly growing number of local innovators are getting a boost from the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) - in advancing their R&D and entering new markets especially in the last 12 months.

In 2023, the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) spearheaded by MRANTI enabled 27 Malaysian technology companies to commercialise 27 products, turning in RM 87.2  million in sales.

NTIS allows researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs with products at a mature technical readiness level to test their solutions and services in a live environment where regulations are relaxed - a critical step towards commercialisation. The sandbox also provides innovators with access to a network of funding partners, as well as 50 industry experts and ecosystem players.

“With strategic interventions to accelerate commercialisation, we have assisted more than 191 companies work through regulatory, technical and funding challenges, through 11 Sandbox programmes since 2020. These efforts increase our security of innovation supply and raises our stature as a high-income, high-technology economy,” said Datuk Wira Dr Hj. Rais Hussin Hj. Mohamed Ariff, CEO of MRANTI.

On improving regulatory support for innovators, MRANTI is working closely with the Medical Devices Association (MDA) and the Ministry of Health to shorten the process for products to safely and effectively go-to-market.  Through the NTIS, several regulatory improvements have been made for the deployment of drones in the agriculture sector.

Companies in the sandbox stress-test many technologies, across various sectors. Over the past 3 years, drone and robotics as well as 4IR technologies, with 129 solutions designed to improve the agriculture, medical and healthcare and logistics sectors.

“One of the key learnings in the past three years in running the NTIS, is that there is a need to provide more avenues, scenarios and locations for experimentation, validation and testing for innovators who are at an earlier stage of their solution development. As such, MRANTI recently launched its Food Security Sandbox with the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency (NCIA) to allow technology providers to test their inventions in a live setting specifically to improve crop yield for paddy and fruits,” he said.

Stronger pipeline in 2024

An additional 2  Sandboxes are expected to be rolled out in 2024, with aims to attract more companies and partners with solutions in more technology and sectoral areas.

“We hope to nurture more local innovators and close more gaps in the innovation lifecycle. As such, we will be expanding the existing 50 developmental programmes next year, to ensure the effective transition of more prototypes to proof-of-concepts,” said Datuk Rais, explaining that the agency had a target of 100 commercialised products by 2025 under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

Products and solutions which have attained commercial status are further supported by MRANTI through market-expansion programmes. 

For example, the MRANTI Global-Market-Fit Programme (GMP) provides assistance for high-growth innovative companies to strengthen their product position in a new market, gain insights and new opportunities in international markets. The GMP offers eligible companies mentorship, specialised workshops, and government funding. Since it was incepted in 2020, 81 companies have been supported to 11 international destinations including Japan, Indonesia, the European Union, China, Thailand, Germany and more.

Nomatech is an agritech company that has benefited from both programmes. It recently commercialised new breeds of rice - including a low glycemic-index red rice and high-yield, high-resistance white rice. The company is now offering its rice grain, flakes and flour products at major supermarket chains in Malaysia, and has received strong interest from Japan, Ireland and other international locations.

Meanwhile, GPS Fleet is another Malaysian company that has since opened up a company in Indonesia, having commercialised their fleet management and logistics solution. It is serving a growing logistics industry in one of the world’s largest archipelagos.

MRANTI’s GMP programme is expected to reach 2 more destinations in 2024.

Please contact MRANTI at hello@mranti.my for more details about these programmes and more.

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Caption: (From Left) Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan - Chief Executive of NCIA, Prof. Dr. Rofina Yasmin Othman - Chairman of MRANTI, Datuk Ts. Dr. Hj. Aminuddin Hassim - Secretary General MOSTI, YB Chang Lih Kang - Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Ts. Dr. Mohd Nor Azman Hassan - Deputy Secretary General (Technology Development) MOSTI, and Datuk Wira Dr. Hj Rais Hussin - Chief Executive Officer of MRANTI

. - Unveiling of our 12th National Sandbox Site the Food Security Sandbox; in collaboration with the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA). This synergy enables Paddy and Superfruit areas located in Northern Region to be utilised for testbedding purposes with the efforts to address rising prices, resource scarcity, and bolster resilience against natural disasters, climate change, economic fluctuations, and ensure food accessibility and affordability for all communities, including remote areas.

Caption:

Global Market-fit Programme (GMP) 2023 Closing Ceremony & Networking Event at Center of Garage (COG), Tokyo, Japan.