Nerdy Science Blog

Bernama (21/5/2008):

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) — Dutch biotechnology company Ingrepro BV Wednesday announced its plan to invest over 10 million euros (RM49.8 million) in algae plantations for healthcare products, feed additives and development of the PowerFarm concept in Malaysia.

The PowerFarm to be set up at Technology Park Malaysia is an industrial large scale algae production plant to produce cradle-to-cradle renewable biodiesel and biogas.

It will produce algae for biomass using industrial and agricultural waste water, said Ingrepro’s director and chief executive officer Carel Callenbach after signing a technology transfer and business collaboration agreement with Biomac Corp Sdn Bhd and a memorandum of understanding with Algaechem Sdn Bhd here.

It’s good to hear that there are more biotechnology companies invest in Malaysia. Malaysia has stable and suitable weather conditions for growing algae. Algae can be used as fertilizer, alternative energy source (as mentioned in the news), pollution control (the use of wastewater), produce stabilizing substances, and nutritious (can be made into food, such as seaweed a.k.a. “fat choy“). Algae also can be used as agar, chemical dyes and coloring agents. Cosmetics products can also be made by using microalgae.

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BERNAMA:

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) — Technology Park Malaysia (TPM), which is expected to play a bigger role in the development of the biotechnology sector, has to go out and explore the opportunities in the states, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.

He said TPM Corp Sdn Bhd’s subsidiary, TPM Biotech Sdn Bhd, was viewed as the “powerhouse” of the biotech sector and it has to reach out to states with rich biodiversity such as Sabah and Sarawak, and tap their indigenous medical knowledge.

“There is a need for TPM to decentralise its services and to reach out to the states, and we hope it will do it during the remainder of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) period.

“We don’t have to follow the modus operandi of the past. They (TPM) can perhaps work with the state governments who would provide land and facilities, or other business networking,” he told reporters after paying a visit to TPM here Thursday.

He said the government wanted to focus on the biotech sector and the pioneering works that had been done by TPM had set the pace for the projects undertaken under 9MP.

“In the last three years since TPM set up its biotech segment, 192 companies had sought its assistance and services, 42 had gone into manufacturing or production via TPM and three had international-level collaborations with pharmaceutical companies,” he said.

Ongkili said TPM sent a team to Sabah recently to explore opportunities in developing biotech industry within the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and would do a similar feasibility study in Sarawak.

TPM president/chief executive, Datuk Mohd Azman Shahidin, said following the visit, it collaborated with the Institute of Development Studies Sabah to study whether it was socially and economically viable to grow the sector under SDC.

He said the ministry planned to set up a National Innovation Foundation to acknowledge and reward people who have come up with innovations that add value to a product or livelihood of the people.

“I will discuss further details with the Cabinet which will make the final decision,” he said.

TPM is one of the world’s most advanced and comprehensive centres for research and development of knowledge-based industries. TMC Corp is a government-linked company.

– BERNAMA

I do hope Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili can make science jobs one of the highest pay in the states as well.