Malaysia, Australia Strengthen Women’s Role In Biotechnology Collaboration
PUTRAJAYA, April 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Australia are committed to strengthening women’s participation and leadership in science, technology and innovation (STI), particularly in biotechnology, in building a more inclusive and competitive national innovation ecosystem.
In a joint statement today, the Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation) and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said both countries plan to encourage more women-led innovations to scale globally and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
Meanwhile, Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Danielle Heinecke, said in the same statement that Australia is proud to be partnering with Malaysia in the health sector.
She said that Australia has invested more than A$8.7 million (A$1 = RM2.81) through the regional cooperation platform Partnerships for a Healthy Region to support Australian institutions, such as CSIRO, in working with partners in Malaysia.
“This investment supports the development of vaccine manufacturing capacity and commercialisation, as well as expanding access to essential health services. Many of the world’s complex challenges cannot be solved without this kind of cooperation and require the involvement of everyone, including women and girls, and their roles within the biotechnology ecosystem.
“Women are now a cornerstone of the country’s scientific community, with nearly 50 per cent of researchers in Malaysia being women — well above the Asia-Pacific average of 23.9 per cent,” she said at the Malaysia–Australia Women in Biotechnology Luncheon yesterday.
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Strategic Technology and S&T Applications Division undersecretary Aidawati Misdar said various initiatives are being emphasised to increase women’s participation in the STI workforce.
She said these include efforts to improve skills and provide retraining, mentorship platforms, and the implementation of more flexible working arrangements.
“These efforts are in line with the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2021–2030 and the National Biotechnology Policy 2.0,” she said in her keynote address at the luncheon.
Aidawati said CSIRO’s ON Accelerate programme and the Bio-based Accelerator (BBA) by Bioeconomy Corporation have also been highlighted as important platforms for supporting the commercialisation of research and the growth of biotechnology enterprises.
“To date, 47 women-led companies under the BBA programme have received facilitation support, thereby contributing to the development of the national bioinnovation ecosystem,” she added.
-- BERNAMA