January - June 2013 | Complimentary Issue

MTDC Eyes More Joint Ventures with Egyptian Companies

Malaysian Technology D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p S d n B h d ( M T D C ) menyasarkan lebih banyak usaha sama dengan syarikat dari Me s i r, t e r ut am any a dalam industri halal, b i o t e k n o l o g i d a n makanan tropika. Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Dato’ Norhalim Yunus berkata, MTDC setakat ini berjaya mewujudkan usaha sama dalam industri fosfat, pengkulturan tisu dan sektor pembersihan canggih.

K UA L A LUM P U R , 20 Mei — Malaysian Technology Development Corp Sdn Bhd (MTDC) menyasarkan lebih banyak usaha sama (JV) dengan syarikat dari Mesir, terutamanya dalam industri halal, b i o t e k n o l o g i d a n makanan tropika.

M T D C s e t a k a t berjaya mewujudkan JV dalam industri fosfat, pengkulturan tisu dan sektor pembersihan canggih, kata Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, Dato’ NorhalimYunus. “JV terhampir yang

kita boleh jangkakan ialah industri makanan tropika, yang dijangka selesai pada suku akan datang, memandangkan s y a r i k a t i t u t e l a h m e n e m u i r a k a n n i a g a b e r p o t e n s i di Mesir,” katanya ke p a d a p e mb e r i t a pada Fasa 1 Bengkel P e n g k o m e r s i l a n Teknologi MTCP-MTDC di sini hari ini. - Bernama

Usahasama MTDC,Mesir

MTDC Sasar Banyak JV dengan Syarikat Mesir

KUALA LUMPUR:Malaysian Technology Development Corp Sdn Bhd (MTDC) is looking at more joint ventures (JV) with Egyptian companies, particularly in the halal, bio-technology and tropical food industries.

MTDC has to date managed to establish JVs in the phosphate industry, tissue culture and industrial hi-tech cleaning sectors, said its chief executive officer Dato’ Norhalim Yunus.

“The nearest JV that we can expect to initiate is in the tropical food industry, which is expected to be concluded in the next quarter, as the company has already met the potential partner in Egypt.

“We are also looking at ICT, because it is an advanced sector in Egypt, where there are “smart villages” like Cyberjaya,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Phase 1 MTCP-MTDC Technology Commercialisation.Workshop yesterday. He said MTDC had undertaken three business

missions ea r l i e r, and succeeded in securing a number of JVbusinesses.

“The missions will be continued as there are still more JV opportunities to be tapped there,” he added.

Norhalim said all the JVs between Malaysian and Egyptian companies are based in Egypt and targeted at the Middle East market.

“For the halal industry alone, we have identified a RM600 million market demand to be tapped into for the region,” he added. MTDC is currently working to provide Egyptian companies with JV opportunities in Malaysia, with an eye on the Asian region, through the workshop.

The five-day workshop, from May 18 to 23, has been organised with the objective of promoting, enhancing and sharing technology, alongside the commercialisation of intellectual property as well as entrepreneurship development.

The workshop is also

discussing the funding of commercialisation activities as well as marketing and business validation tools, both locally and abroad. - Bernama

2 | MTDC NEWS January - June 2013

MTDC, Egyptian Academy to Ink Research MoU

Malaysia akanEkspansi Sawit Besar-besaran ke Riau.

MALAYSIAN Technology Development Corp Sdn Bhd (MTDC) CEO Datuk Norhalim Yunus is leading a 27-member Malaysian delegation to Egypt to seal a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT). Norhalim said the MoU will enable both parties to collaborate in research commercialisation. “As a result of the MTDC-ASRT MoU, we are now getting MoUs between Malaysian and Egyptian companies,” he told Bernama in an interview in Kuala Lumpur. The delegation will be in Cairo from March 31 to April 4 to seal the deal and visit the Egyptian

companies involved. He said the MoU between M T D C an d A SRT will enable Malaysian companies to enter Egypt and make Cairo the gateway to the Middle East market. “The long-term idea of the MoU is to look into the possibility of building a collaboration between Malaysia and Egypt in technical commercialisation research that will eventually lead to the establishment of a complete and functional ecosystem for technology transfer, commercialisation and business engagement easily accessible to technology companies in Malaysia and Egypt,” he said. He added that the collaboration will create

new markets and economic groupings through bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the collaborating countries’ technology firms. “Malaysian companies should take this opportunity to expand their market by going beyond Malaysia, and Cairo will become their entry point to the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Southern Europe,” he said. Norhalim said the collaboration will enhance the capacity of the collaborating agencies to implement and manage technology development and commercialisation programmes. “The idea is not just a normal business-to-

business relationship, the MoU involves technology content and is a technology business with some emphasis on technology and to forge collaboration between Malaysian and Egyptian institutions,” he said. MTDC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, was set up in 1992 and has been the key player in the management of government funds, the promotion and commercialisation of local inventions and acquisition of foreign technologies. ASRT, established by Presidential Decree in 1971,

is Egypt’s national body responsible for science and technology with members drawn from universities, research centres, institutes and production sectors. Apart from the exchange of documents between MTDC and ASRT, four MoUs will also be signed between four Malaysian and 10 Egyptian companies. The four Malaysian companies — Malaysian Phosphate Additives Sdn Bhd, MIFF Marketing Sdn Bhd, OrchidLife Sdn Bhd and Euro-Circuit Sdn Bhd — have received MTDC funding. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR - Perusahaan Malaysia Sawipac Sdn Bhd akan menanamkan modal sebanyak 300 juta ringgit (Rp900 miliar) untuk membangun kompleks pengolahan minyak sawit terpadu di Riau, Indonesia. Direktur Pelaksana Sawipac, Neo Teck Siong seperti dikutip harian Kosmo, mengatakan, kompleks k i l a n g i t u a k a n dibangun dalam dua

riset dan pengembangan, konsultasi serta sarana pendukungnya. Pada Maret , perusahaan t e r s e b u t t e l a h menandatangani nota kesepahaman dengan pemerintah Kabupaten K a m p a r d i R i a u . Da lam pe r j an j i an tersebut , Sawipac akan menyediakan teknologi pemrosesan minyak sawit inovatif dengan teknologi hijau dan tenaga biomassa

tahap. Tahap pertama akan dibangun pabrik berkapasitas 60 metrik ton per jam dengan fasilitas kilang minyak sawit, pabrik pupuk dan pembangkit listrik bahan bakar biogas.Tahap kedua akan dibangun satu pabrik lagi dengan bahan bakar biomassa. S a w i p a c y a n g didirikan pada 1996 menyediakan teknologi pengilangan minyak sawit canggih,

di wilayah Kampar. Perkebunan di Kampar menghasilkan sekitar 500 ribu metrik ton tandan buah segar setiap tahun. Teck Siong mengatakan, perusahaannya telah memperoleh lahan seluas 40 hektar di Kampar yang kini sedang dalam proses pembersihan lahan. Sawipac mengandungi 51 persen kepemilikan atas lahan tersebut

dan sisanya dipegang o leh pengusaha lokal. Teck Siong mengatakan, setiap tahap pembangunan m e m b u t u h k a n waktu s e k i t a r 1 8 bulan dan setelah selesai serta mulai beroperasi perusahaan memperkirakan bisa meraup pendapatan sekitar 200 juta ringgit.

MTDC NEWS January - June 2013|3

CAIRO - Malaysia’s exports to Egypt are expected to increase by 10% this year on strong demand for palm oil in the republic, said Malaysia’s Ambassador to Egypt Datuk Dr Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Mukti. He said the exports of Malaysian palm oil are expected to improve following the Egyptian government’s recently-announced subsidies for palm oil in tandem with the high demand. “We expect our exports to increase with the major contributor to come from palm oil industry,” he told Bernama at the Malaysian Technology Development Corp Sdn Bhd dinner. In 2012, Malaysia’s exports to Egypt amounted to RM4 billion while Egypt’s imports to Malaysia during that period totalled about RM300 million. Dr Mohd Fakhrudin said palm oil contributed about 80% to the total amount of Malaysian exports to Egypt, followed by furniture industry, electronic products and car parts. “In order to balance the trade between the two nations,

Malaysian companies can boost the import of cotton from Egypt which has been described as one of the best in the world,” he said. On Proton Holdings Bhd’s plan to team up with an Egyptian company, Dr Mohd Fakhrudin said discussions are still ongoing to identify a suitable candidate. “So far nothing has been confirmed on the potential joint venture to assemble and sell cars here,” he said.He said negotiations between Petrolium Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Egypt Petroleum Co (EPC) to venture into the oil and gas (O&G) industry in Africa are also ongoing.

“We will monitor both potential collaborations closely,” he said. Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak had on Jan 23, 2013, said that the EPC is keen to collaborate with Petronas to venture into the O&G industry in Africa after the prime minister met with his Egyptian counterpart Dr Hesham Mohamed Qandil here. — Bernama

C A I R O : M a l a y s i a n Technology Development Corp (MTDC) and the Egyptian Academy of Scientif ic Research & Technology (ASRT) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here yesterday to embark on a commercialisation and research partnership. MTDC chief executive officer Datuk Norhalim Yunus said the collaboration between MTDC and ASRT was an excellent platform towards enhancing the capacity of both parties. “It allows us to implement

and manage technology d e v e l o p m e n t a n d c o m m e r c i a l i s a t i o n programmes,” he said- after the MoU signing ceremony. Norhalim signed on behalf of MTDC, while Professor Dr Al Sherbini Maged, president of ASRT, inked the agreement for the academy. Norhalim said the MoU would also accelerate the transfer of technology and the development of new t e c h n ol o g y c omp an i e s f o r c o m m e r c i a l i s i n g technology developed via the collaboration. “This collaboration will

also create new markets and economic groupings through bilateral and multilateral c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n technology companies of both countries,” he added. Maged said the collaboration would enable more Egyptian enterprises to enter the Malaysian market. “The MoU will create a win-win situation for the Malaysian and Egyptian economy. More jobs and value added industries will be created through this collaboration,” he added.— Bernama

MTDC embarks on partnership with Egyptian academy

CAIRO: The Malaysian Technology Development Corp (MTDC) says a stronger Government is needed to lead the country towards attaining the high-income nation status by 2020. Chief executive officer Datuk Norhalim Yunus said elections would come and go but the most important factor for the business community was a stable Government. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Wednesday announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat, paving the way for the 13th General Election which would see 222 Federal and 505 state seats contested. “Ultimately, business is about opportunities. So, as long as we remain stable, we should be a great destination for doing business,” he told Bernama during a business trip to Eygpt. He said the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat did not come as a surprise as the business community had expected it. “I hope that we can all carry

out our duties wisely and continue our efforts to achieve our goals in 2020,” he said. On the timing of the dissolution, Norhalim said it was the prerogative of the

Prime Minister. Back home, Shapers Malaysia Sdn Bhd hoped the Government, under the administration of Najib, would be re-elected so as to continue the focus on the halal market. “We hope the administration will continue looking into the halal sector and emphasise more on trading,” said its chief executive officer Mohd Shukri Abdullah on the sidelines of the World Halal Week Kuala

Lumpur 2013. He pointed out that under the current administration, Malaysia had become the world’s biggest multi- halal products exporter.

“No other country is doing so much for the halal industry as Malaysia. “Here, we have the International Halal Showcase, Halal Industry Development Corp, World Halal Research and World Halal Forum to promote the halal market globally,” he added. — Bernama

Strong Government needed to achieve high-income status

Exports to Egypt to rise 10% on palm oil

4 | MTDC NEWS January - June 2013

Spa-cial surprises from the forestNatural wonders in new range of products

By YIP YOKE TENGteng@thestar.cornsnyPhotos by SIA HONG KIAU

Convenient: Forestra products are available in a travel pack.

Attractive Choice: Jurina showing the Forestra home spa set.

THE lush greenery of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FR1M) in Kepong has always been a huge attraction for Kuala Lumpur folk. If you are a regular visitor, would it ever cross your mind that the pleasant environment would be a great backdrop for an indulging spa session? Or at least, have you ever wondered if there was a way you could take home a piece of nature’s bounty? You may have even wondered why this has not happened, considering the institute’s active involvement in research. Well, it has happened! A range of spa products has been developed under the FRIM-Malaysian Technology Development Corporation ( M T D C ) S y m b i o s i s Programme, which was launched in 2008. The former acts as the technology provider while MTDC is the sponsor-cum

-business development trainer. Building a spa in the forest is also in the pipeline and it may be set up next year, with an estimated cost of RM1mil. MTDC, wholly-owned by Khazanah Nasional Malaysia, was established in 1992 to promote the adoption of technology by local companies, which would help with the commercialisation of local inventions.

Bio-Nature Formula Sdn Bhd’s proposal of a forest based home spa range made it one of the 10 spin off companies tasked with commercialising FRIM’s technology.

Among the products developed by the other companies are tissue culture seedlings, food for diabetics, bio-diesel and disinfectants. They are all housed at the FRIM-MTDC Technology Centre located in FRIM. Bio-Nature Formula managing director Jurina Anwar said the products were launched in September last year after two years of research, thanks to a grant for

RM1.16mil.It is currently being

marketed through direct selling, as well as to spa outlets, hotels and travel agencies.

“We are still in the midst of creating strong bonds with our customers to get the necessary feedback from them.

“After that, we will market the products at leading pharmacies,” she said There are four products under the brand Forestra, including body scrub, body wash, lotion and herbal feminine wash.

Each product is priced between RM25 and RM45. The products are also available in a travel pack as well as hantaran (wedding gift) package.

The market is never short of spa products and the demand remains high.

According to a report from Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the spa industry will generate revenue of US$77.2 bil (RM240bil) globally by 2015. Forestra is banking on local herbal treasures to counter the fierce competition from

foreign products. Jurina is confident that Forestra will remain attractive because it is one of the few local brands supported bycontinuous scientific research. “Samples of raw materials were sourced from different parts of the country to find out which one worked best. Then came the extraction and distillation processes using FRIM facilities, and the last step was to develop the formulation,” she said.

Traditionally favoured h e r b s an d p l ant s s u c h as Pokok Kapal Terbang (Chromolaenaodorata),which

is commonly used to stop minor bleeding; kaffir lime which is used for Mandi Bunga (floral shower): and Centella asiatica, known for its anti-oxidant properties, are among the active ingredients. “The products are suitable for the local climate and meet the needs of our customers. The lotion, for instance, is infused with essential oils that repel mosquitoes,” she said.She added that there were many repeat customers and, if the demand increased, the company would grow the required plants on a large scale. “We hope the products will appeal to a larger market as they showcase the uniqueness of Malaysia, her rich heritage and natural resources,” she added.

The home spa range has brought satisfaction to the scientists at FRIM as well.

More commercialisation activities are in the works, i n c l u d i n g d e v e l o p i n g products for postnatal care as well as hair and face-care.

MTDC NEWS January - June 2013|5

CAIRO: Malaysian Phosphate Additives Sdn Bhd (MPA) has obtained a long-term supply of rock phosphate raw materials from an Egyptian company for its future development, said managing director Lim Lee Wan. Both companies signed a MoU yesterday to facilitate the supply. “MPA has secured a long-term supply contract from El Nasr and they will provide us

with 600,000 tonnes of rock phosphate, annually, valued at US$90 million [RM277.2 million];” he told Bernama after the MoU signing.

Lim said the company had already secured rock phosphate from within the region but with the group’s ongoing plans to establish an integrated phosphate plant in Samalaju, Sarawak, more raw material will be needed to produce animal feed,

fertilisers and food phosphate products. “We plan to invest RM890 million in the Sarawak plant which will have an annual production capacity of 500,000 tonnes. We will be in a good position to expand beyond Malaysia, particularly in the Southeast Asia and Australian markets!’

He added that Phase 1 of the plant will be completed by 2015.

MPA is a grant recipient of Malaysian Technology Development Corp and its manufacturing facility in Lumut, Perak, produces 30,000 tonnes of phosphate. El Nasr, a leading public enterprise company in Egypt, has 23 overseas branches in several Arab countries, Africa and Europe.

MPA also signed MoU with four other Egyptian companies which have plans

to set up a phosphate plant in the republic. “We had discussions on the collaboration to set up a plant in Egypt. MPA will provide the expertise and technology but nothing has been finalised yet,” said Lim.

He expects capital expenditure for the project to be between US$100 million and US$150 million. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) -- MIFF Marketing Sdn Bhd has sealed a joint venture agreement with Egypt’s logistic giant Eittrans Group Ltd to undertake ‘green Islamic’ cleaning services through a newly set up joint-venture company, MIFF Eittrans Joinventure Ltd.

M I F F M a r k e t i n g , a r e c i p i e n t o f t h e Government’s Business Start-Up Fund (BSF) u n d e r the Malays ian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), is a leading manufacturer of an innovative clay powder known as Claymiff, which is widely used in the Malaysian halal industry.

“It can kill germs and bacteria in the faeces of dogs and pigs (najis mughallazah). It also has great potential as a natural antiseptic and disinfectant for green products,” MTDC said in a statement.

Eittrans has worldwide sea and air freight agents as well as international transportation services.

At the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing in early April, MIFF Marketing was represented by Managing Director Ab Razak Ab Hadi and Eittrans Group by Managing Director Dr Salah Sadek, witnessed by Malaysian Ambassador to Egypt Datuk Dr. Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Mukti.

The joint-venture company targets 200 containers, charging US$80 percontainer. Egypt has one airport and eight sea ports handling some 28 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually. -BERNAMA

MPA Signs MoU to Buy Rock Phosphate from Egypt

MIFF Marketing Partners Egypt’s Eittrans To Undertake Cleaning Service

MTDC Eyes EastAfrica to PromoteMalaysian CompaniesF a u z a n A b d u l K a d i r KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Technology Development Corp Sdn Bhd (MTDC) will lead a business delegation to East Africa to promote Malaysian products and technologies.

“We are focusing on companies under our grant recipient programme which we think are capable of marketing their products and technologies there,” MTDC Chief Executive Officer Datuk Norhalim Yunus said to Bernama. Norhalim said with the cooperat ion under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), he believed that Malaysians could successfully build up business partnership with local companies. He said MTDC would also bring some Malaysian biotechnology related companies as that sector

was very important to both North and East Africa. MTDC has plans to visit Tanzania at the end of this month to look at business activities that Malaysian companies can explore. Norhalim said MTDC had identified five to ten leading companies under its grant programme to provide services and market their products in the republic. “We want companies that can provide services such as ship services, degreasing chemical services and phosphate derivative (services),” he said. He noted that during the visit some companies would sign an initial memorandum of understanding (MoU) with their counterparts. “It would lead to joint-ventures in the future,” he said.

“Both Malaysian and Tanzanian companies need the MoU because they

have to have a company later to do business in the future,” he added. Norhalim said the initial idea of bringing local companies to overseas was to create a successful group of Malaysian companies where people could see that Malaysian technologies and products are marketable internationally. Last May, MTDC signed an MoU wi th Fa th ima Group of Companies as the intermediary for its fund recipient companies in exploring market potentials in the Middle Eastern market. MTDC and the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) had also signed an MoU last April to embark on a commercialisation and research partnership.

- Bernama

6 | MTDC NEWS January - June 2013

ROZIANA HAMSAWIKUALA LUMPURroziana@nstp.com.my

THE government yesterday announced an additional RM600 million for various programmes and financing needs to further empower Bumiputera entrepreneurs. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said RM400 million will be managed by the Economic Planning Unit to meet the needs of entrepreneurs, such as for infrastructural development and support programmes, to turn them into global players. The remaining RM200 million will be disbursed equally through Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and Perbadanan Usahawan

Nasional Bhd (PUNB).Mara will further

develop its programmes to elevate Bumiputera corporates in their equity development agenda, while PUNB will use the RM100 million to help place businesses at strategic locations.

Najib made these announcements in his speech when officiating at the inaugural 2013 Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Assembly, organised b y 1 2 g o v e r n m e n t agencies responsible for helping Bumiputera entrepreneurs.

He also said the ceiling for loans under Mara and Tekun Nasional has been increased to RM100,000 f r o m R M 5 0 , 0 0 0 . T h e l i m i t f o r f i n a n c i n g

under Mara has been increased toRM1mil from RM500,000.

The prime minister yesterday also announced the implementation of a Teraju Exchange Portal, which will gather details of successful Bumiputera entrepreneurs.

Najib said using the RM400 million extra fund, the government, among others , wi l l upgrade the existing incubators and small and medium enterprises’ parks, and p l a c e e nt re pre n e u r s in strategic locations nationwide. Meanwhile, the premier said the government’s aim has always been to retain the fundamentals of the New Economic Policy (NEP), while adopting

adjustments in order to meet its objectives.

He said a review of the policy has been done in accordance with the changes in the 21st century, and such adjustments are needed to ensure it is properly implemented.

“These changes do not mean we have reduced our commitment to achieve the initial objectives of the NEP. These are adjustments in terms of implementation.

“If there are weaknesses that could be questioned, then we try to correct them to ensure the objectives could be reached.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference here later, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop

said the additional funds will be utilised and can be obtained immediately.

Yesterday’s assembly was attended by more than 3,000 entrepreneurs and will be held once every two years.

The agencies involved were PUNB, Teraju, Ekuiti Nasional Bhd, Mara, Tekun Nasional, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, S M E C o r p o r a t i o n , SME Bank, Perbadanan Nasional Bhd, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation, Multimedia Development Corporation and Agro Bank.

Extra RM600m for Bumi EntrepreneursGOVERNMENT SUPPORT: Funds for various programmes and financing needs to boost local participation at global stage

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak looking at the Bumiputera entrepreneurs resolutions at the 2013 Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Assemblyyesterday. Looking on are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (right) and the event’s chairman KhairyJamaluddin. Pic by: Syarafiq Abd Samad

MTDC NEWS January - June 2013|7

ROZIANA HAMSAWISERDANGroziana@nstp.com.my

T H E M a l a y s i a n Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), which has granted funds worth RM80 million to the country’s young technopreneurs, wants

to extend the grant to more states this year.

S i n c e M T D C launched its Symbiosis Programme in 2008, the focus “seemed to be very federal”, said its chief executive officer Datuk Norhalim Yunus, adding that it’s time for it to expand

the reach to create the necessary critical mass of start-up companies in technology businesses. He said having funded about 500 companies in the past 20 years, young graduates participating in MTDC’s Symbiosis Programme can benefit from the network of these companies.

“They enter this programme, their risks become quite managed. That is why we think it is time we started collaborating with state governments and its agencies to further boost domestic investment in technology,” he told reporters after a meeting with participants of the programme here yesterday. Under the programme, MTDC works w i t h Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, U n i v e r s i t i P u t r a

Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia. To date, 4 7 c omp an i e s h ave joined the programme and 20 products have entered the market, a majority of them are now sold at some major supermarkets.

“Most of these products come from our first programme with FRIM. In total, they are generating a revenue of RM1 million,” said Norhalim.

T h e S y m b i o s i s Programme’s aim is to assist universities’ inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs to develop and later commercialise their ideas via spin-off, start-up, joint ventures and partnerships. Norhalim said this p r o g r a m m e h a s been quite successful i n m e e t i n g t h e government’s aspiration of making Malaysia a technology-based and innovative country.

“Normally, it takes time for products based on research and development to hit the market. But with this programme, the route usually takes about two years,” he said.

M T D C , w h o l l y owned by Khazanah N a s i o n a l , w a s established in 1992 to promote the adoption of technologies by local companies via A commercialisation a c t i v i t i e s o f l o c a l inventions or acquisition of foreign Technologies.

MTDC Wants to Expand the SymbiosisGRANT SCHEME : Technology development agency to widen the reach and focus the programme

“We think it is time we started collaborating with stategovernments and its agencies to boost domesticinvestment in technology.”Datuk Norhalim Yunus, MTDC Chief Executive Officer

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 (Bernama) – MIFF Marketing Sdn Bhd today entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with Labuan Halal Hub Sdn Bhd to provide shariah-compliant method of industrial cleaning service commonly known as the samak.

In a statement today, Malaysian Technolog y Development Corp (MTDC), said a JV company, MIFF-LHH Port Sdn Bhd, was set up with MIFF Marketing holding a 70 per cent share and Labuan Halal Hub the rest.

“ T h e pro j e c t w i l l commence immediately and the ‘samak’

service will include the cleaning of kitchen or cooking areas in vessels, with a target of 700 vessels a month,” it said.

MTDC, a company wholly-owned by Khazanah Nasional Malaysia, is in the business of grant management, advisory and nurturing services. It also manages technology centers.

M I F F M a r k e t i n g , a r e c i p i e n t o f t h e government’s Business Start-Up Fund (BSF) under MTD C, produces and manufactures innovative c l ay p owd e r n am e d CLAYMIFF®, developed by Universiti Putra Malaysia.

MIFF MARKETING TO PROVIDE SAMAK SERVICE TO LABUAN HALAL HUB

8 | MTDC NEWS January - June 2013

Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) was set up by the Government of Malaysia in 1992 to spearhead the development of technology businesses in Malaysia. Its initial role was to concentrate on the promotion and commercialisation of local research and invests in new ventures that can bring in new technologies from abroad. Since the 7th Malaysia Plan, MTDC has been instrumental in the development of technology companies and commercialisation of new technologies. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the role of MTDC has been expanded to create an effective ecosystem for commercialisation of homegrown technologies – to groom a new generation of technopreneurs through comprehensive nurturing services that support them all the way from laboratory ideas to the market shelves. The right mix of dedication, knowledge, technology, innovation, conviction, support, investments and nurturing makes MTDC a Complete Equation creating value and accelerating economic growth for the Nation.

The Right Catalyst