NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Sunday, May 1, 2005

Noting that in biotechnology “the journey between discovery to cashflow is a long one, sometimes longer than the patience of conventional private sector investors,” he pledged strong government support.
“The Malaysian government commits itself today to undertake the role of developer and catalyst of the country’s biotechnology sector,” he said in a speech announcing a national biotech policy.
Abdullah outlined nine “thrusts” of the policy, the first three of which aim to “shift the country’s agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing sectors to the high-tech stage.”
Others include the establishment of “biotechnology centres of excellence” for research and the application of “competitive ’lab to market’ funding and incentives to encourage committed participation from academia and the private sector, including government-linked companies.”
Story found here.