Malaysia needs to keep pace with wellness-related innovations — Bioeconomy Corp

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia needs to keep pace with the advance sin wellness relatedinnovations for the sector to contribute over RM370 million to the gross national income and 3,500 jobs by 2020, as targeted by the government.

Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mohd Shuhaizam Mohd Zain said currently, the wellness industry was marked by the integration of various technologies such as the Internet of Things, thanks to the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

“For example, the usage of the Internet of Things in biotechnology has allowed smartphone apps to measure a person’s sleep cycle or heart rate, while wireless biosensors in garments can monitor health.

“These technologies are allowing more people to easily track their personal health, which contributes to their overall wellness,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Bioeconomy Corporation is one of the exhibitors at the Wellness Cluster of the five-day National Innovation and Creative Economy Expo 2017 (NICE 2017), which is expected to transform Malaysia’s wellness industry through the growth of cutting-edge innovations.

Championed by the agency, the Wellness Cluster is also a platform to create public awareness on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, while offering growth opportunities for new businesses and facilitating wellnessrelated innovations across the nation.

“We hope that the innovations featured in the Wellness Cluster will get more people to adopt a healthier lifestyle through wellness technologies, while also catalysing the growth of more local, revamped wellness innovations to benefit and revolutionise the way Malaysians live,” said Mohd Shuhaizam.

Exhibitors at the Wellness Cluster are also from other agencies under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), including the National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation and Nuklear Malaysia.

From today until Oct 16, the NICE Expo 2017 is a MOSTI initiative to further promote the scientific and technological-based economic activities to the general public.

It involves 15 ministries and government departments, as well as 25 agencies under MOSTI, alongside 39 strategic partners. — Bernama