Science and technology in Malaysia

Last updated

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space Muszaphar shukor.jpg
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space

Science policy in Malaysia is regulated by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. The ministry focuses on five areas: biotechnology, ICT[ clarification needed ] policy, industry, sea to space and core science and technology. [1] Other ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health also have science departments. Training in scientific areas was promoted during the 1970s and 1980s. From 1987-1997 research and development used 0.24% of GNP, and in 1998 high-tech exports made up 54% of Malaysia's manufactured exports.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Malaysia is one of the world's largest exporters of semiconductor devices, electrical goods, information and communication technology products. [2] Innovation in Malaysia is dominated by large foreign multinational companies.

Malaysia was ranked 36th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021 [3]

History

In an effort to create a self-reliant defensive ability and support national development, Malaysia privatised some of its military facilities in the 1970s. This has created a defence industry, which was brought under the Malaysia Defence Industry Council in 1999. The government continues to promote and market this sector and its competitiveness. [4]

The first satellite operated by Malaysia was during 1996 when a private company, MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd (formerly known as Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd) bought 2 communications satellites from Boeing Satellite Systems named them MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2. MEASAT-3 and MEASAT-3A was launched on 2006 and 2009 respectively. Malaysia successfully designed and built its first remote sensing satellite named TiungSAT-1 through collaboration between Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd in Malaysia and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. in the United Kingdom. The satellite was launched into low Earth orbit on 26 September 2000 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Malaysia's second remote sensing satellite, RazakSAT was launched on 14 July 2009 and RazakSAT-2 was planned to be launched in 2015. [5]

In 2002 the Malaysian National Space Agency (Angkasa) was formed to deal with all of Malaysia's activities in space, and to promote space education and space experiments. It is focused on developing the "RazakSAT" satellite, which is a remote sensing satellite with charge-coupled device cameras. [6] In early 2006, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and three other finalists were selected for the Angkasawan spaceflight programme. This programme came about when Russia agreed to transport one Malaysian to the International Space Station as part of a multibillion-dollar purchase of 18 Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets by the Royal Malaysian Air Force.[ citation needed ]

Malaysian remote sensing satellite, RazakSAT RazakSat.gif
Malaysian remote sensing satellite, RazakSAT

In an effort to create a self-reliant defensive ability and support national development Malaysia privatised some of its military facilities in the 1970s. [4] This has created a defence industry, which in 1999 was brought under the Malaysia Defence Industry Council. The government continues to try and promote this sector and its competitiveness, actively marketing the defence industry. [4] One way it does this is through the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, one of the largest defence and civil showcases in the Asia Pacific, regularly attended by over 500 companies. [4] The Malaysian Armed Forces relies heavily on local military technology and high-tech weapons systems designed and manufactured by foreign countries.

The Malaysian Antarctic Research Programmer began in 1997 following an invitation from New Zealand to use Scott Base and Malaysian cabinet approval. A task force created by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia sent their first expedition in 1999. On 5 August 2002 the University of Malaya established the National Antarctic Research Centre. The Antarctic Research Programmer's area of interest was extended to the arctic in 2006. [7] On 31 October 2011 Malaysia became a party to the Antarctic Treaty. [8]

In July 2011, a group of Malaysian scientists founded the Scientific Malaysian network, a non-profit initiative to connect Malaysian scientists across the globe. [9]

Scientific Malaysian network

Scientific Malaysian network was formed by the local and oversea Malaysian scientists. Most of the Malaysian scientists are employed in the public universities or governmental research institutions and partially in the private universities and private R&D department with commercialisation pressure. A significant number of Malaysian scientists are established their research career oversea, which some of them stay in the country completed their PhD. Local and oversea Malaysian scientists are connected through various research activities via conferences, forums, publications and joint research funding applications. Connecting the local and oversea Malaysian scientists are important to unite the country scientific forces to contribute the country development

Malaysian scientists abroad

Malaysian scientist abroad or overseas Malaysian scientist are the common terms for Malaysian scientists residing abroad who are active in the research and development in the scientific community. A number of the Malaysian scientists continue their research career after finishing their Ph.D. overseas, particularly in the USA, UK, European Union, China, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Malaysian scientists abroad have strong connection with home country and inherit the linguistic strength in the multicultural community with Malays, Chinese and India.

Science policies in Malaysia

The Malaysian government establishes science policies to push forward the science and technology development in the country under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The government helps actively connect the local and overseas scientists to push forward the Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50).

Related Research Articles

The primary regulator of telecommunications in Malaysia is the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). It issues licenses under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Postal Services Act 2012 and the Digital Signature Act 1997.

Science and technology in Israel is one of the country's most developed sectors. Israel spent 4.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on civil research and development in 2015, the highest ratio in the world. In 2019, Israel was ranked the world's fifth most innovative country by the Bloomberg Innovation Index. It ranks thirteenth in the world for scientific output as measured by the number of scientific publications per million citizens. In 2014, Israel's share of scientific articles published worldwide (0.9%) was nine times higher than its share of the global population (0.1%).

Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) is a science park located in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for research and development of knowledge-based industries. Its total land area of 750 acres (3.0 km2), comprises 13 buildings each with specific functions. It is in phase 1 of implementation.

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd, formerly Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd is a Malaysian communications satellite operator, which owns and operates the MEASAT and AFRICASAT spacecraft. The company provides satellite services to leading Malaysia broadcasters, Direct-To-Home (DTH) platforms and telecom operators. With capacity across six communication satellites, the company provides satellite services to over 150 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majlis Amanah Rakyat</span> Malaysian government agency

The Majlis Amanah Rakyat is a Malaysian government agency. It was formed to aid, train, and guide Bumiputra in the areas of business and industry. MARA was formed on March 1, 1966 under the Rural and National Development Ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Space Agency (Malaysia)</span> Malaysian National Space Agency

The National Space Agency, abbreviated ANGKASA, was the national space agency of Malaysia. It was established in 2002 and its charter includes aims to upgrade, stimulate and foster the country's space programme through integrated and coordinated efforts by developing and applying space technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission</span> National space agency of Pakistan

The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) is the executive and national space agency of Pakistan. It is headquartered at the capital city of Islamabad in the northern part of Pakistan with additional facilities at the University of Punjab in Lahore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Space Agency</span> Space agency; public institution with extrabudgetary funding

The Romanian Space Agency is a public institution with extra-budgetary funding that coordinates Romania's national space technology research programs and space research-related activities. ROSA was founded in 1991 and is subordinated to the Ministry of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEASAT-3</span>

MEASAT-3 was a Malaysian communications satellite which was successfully launched on 11 December 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RazakSAT</span> Malaysian satellite

RazakSAT is a Malaysian Earth observation satellite carrying a high-resolution camera. It was launched into low Earth orbit on 14 July 2009. It was placed into a near-equatorial orbit that presents many imaging opportunities for the equatorial region. It weighs over three times as much as TiungSAT-1 and carries a high resolution Earth observation camera. Developed in conjunction with Satrec Initiative, the satellite's low inclination orbit brought it over Malaysia a dozen or more times per day. This was intended to provide greatly increased coverage of Malaysia, compared to most other Earth observation satellites. An audit report released in October 2011 revealed that the satellite had failed after only 1 year of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science and technology in India</span>

After independence, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, initiated reforms to promote higher education and science and technology in India. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)—conceived by a 22-member committee of scholars and entrepreneurs in order to promote technical education—was inaugurated on 18 August 1951 at Kharagpur in West Bengal by the minister of education Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. More IITs were soon opened in Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi as well in the late 1950s and early 1960s along with the regional RECs (now National Institutes of Technology. Beginning in the 1960s, close ties with the Soviet Union enabled the Indian Space Research Organisation to rapidly develop the Indian space program and advance nuclear power in India even after the first nuclear test explosion by India on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran.

Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd or better known as ATSB was established on 1 May 1995 and is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Inc under the supervision of the Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SME Ordnance</span>

The SME Ordnance Sdn Bhd (SMEO), formerly known as Syarikat Malaysia Explosive Sdn Bhd, is a Malaysian defence company that specialises in the manufacturing and marketing of ordnance. The company is located in Batu Arang, Selangor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tun Razak Exchange</span> Central business district in Malaysia

The Tun Razak Exchange, otherwise known as TRX, is a 70-acre development by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in the heart of Kuala Lumpur for international finance and business. The development was named after the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, due to its location along Jalan Tun Razak. TRX is a strategic enabler of the Malaysian government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) is the pioneering Egyptian institution in the field of satellite remote sensing and space sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Communications and Digital</span>

The Ministry of Communications and Digital, is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia that is responsible for digitalisation, communications, multimedia, radio broadcasting, digital terrestrial television broadcasting, other media broadcasts, information, personal data protection, special affairs, media industry, film industry, domain name, postal, courier, mobile service, fixed service, broadband, digital signature, universal service, international broadcasting, and content.

Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian investment holding company led by billionaire Ananda Krishnan. Its principal investments include telecommunications, media, property, and oil & gas companies. Through itself or its subsidiaries, it holds significant interests in the public-listed entities Maxis Berhad, Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Bumi Armada Berhad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology</span> Technology think tank based in Malaysia

The Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) is an independent non-profit technology think tank under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department. It was established in 1993 to support the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister and leverage on the multi-disciplinary and inter-ministerial synergies from both the industry and Government.

The domain of international space politics gained significant traction during the Cold War. This was largely fuelled by the ongoing space race between the USA and the USSR. At this time in history, space exploration was an endeavour largely restricted to the global superpowers and seemed out of reach for many smaller, developing, nations to actively participate in. Subsequently, public concerns for the cost of research and development into novel space technologies did not receive sufficient policy and academic attention in Africa. As the Cold War reached its conclusion, political power began to diffuse across the world, and this led to many smaller nation states developing national and regional space capabilities. In the context of Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt and South Africa were the front-runners in terms of investments into space-related research and development.

References

  1. Malaysia: The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation. Country Case Study No.1
  2. "Malaysia". United States State Department. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  3. "Global Innovation Index 2021". World Intellectual Property Organization . United Nations . Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Pike, John. "Malaysia Defence Industry". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  5. "RM200mil for RazakSAT-2 satellite programme". Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
  6. "RazakSAT".
  7. "Background". University of Malaya. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  8. "Parties". Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  9. "About Scientific Malaysian" . Retrieved 28 January 2014.