KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) aims to increase the contribution of experimental research development in science, technology and innovation (STI) to 50% by 2025, up from 45.5% in 2020.
In a statement, MOSTI said the increase will focus on research and development (R&D) commercialisation and leverage the Malaysia Science Endowment (MSE) Fund to match private sector funding with industry and government-linked investment companies (GLICs).
The ministry said the move aims to reduce dependence on government funding while boosting Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) and Business Expenditure on R&D (BERD) by 2030.
Key initiatives in Budget 2025 for MOSTI include developing technology such as MySTI (for procuring local R&D products), the National Innovation and Technology Sandbox (NTIS) for product testing, Malaysian Commercialisation Year (MCY) to commercialise local R&D products, and KL20, an action plan for the start-up ecosystem.
“In artificial intelligence (AI), MOSTI, through the National Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Committee (NBAIC), has implemented over 20 initiatives since 2022, including AI ethics guidelines and the AI Sandbox,“ it said.
MOSTI has also initiated various STI cultural programmes, such as the SciTech4U Programme, National Science Week, and Malaysia Techlympics. The “STI 100 on the Power of Three” (STI 1003) programme this year matched 100 scientists with 100 schools.
In exploring nuclear energy as a primary energy source for carbon neutrality by 2050, MOSTI, alongside the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), has been tasked with developing nuclear energy expertise and training in Malaysia.
MOSTI noted that the initiative aligns with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and National Energy Policy (NEP) as a proactive solution to Malaysia’s energy trilemma of stability, sustainability, and efficiency.
MOSTI’s Budget 2025 includes an RM738 million operating budget (a 4.7% increase) and a development budget of RM536.62 million (a 0.15% increase). Allocations for STI service development rose from RM140 million to RM141 million, with STI research increasing from RM102 million to RM172 million. The R&D budget is RM595 million, with RM195 million under MOSTI and RM400 million under the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT).
“With this budget increase, MOSTI is committed to accelerating Malaysia’s transition towards a high-tech, high-income nation and strengthening Malaysia’s position as a leader in innovation and technology on the global stage,“ it added.
