KUCHING: The BioBorneo and Bioeconomy Day 2017 will be held at Imperial Hotel here on 9 May.
Jointly organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Bioeconomy Corporation of Malaysia and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, BioBorneo and Bioeconomy Day serves as a platform to disseminate information on current bioeconomy R&D efforts and related business potential, along with sharing on bioeconomic transformation programmes and implementation in Malaysia.
The inaugural BioBorneo was held in Sarawak in 2012, and has since been hosted alternately between Sarawak and Sabah, annually.
This year’s BioBorneo theme is “Driving Bioeconomy for Rural Transformation” and the one-day event will comprise two plenary sessions in the morning, followed by the Bioeconomy Day Workshop in the afternoon.
The first plenary session will cover topics on biomass conversion to useful applications, and enabling rural transformation.
Panelists for the first session are, Sylvester Wong the CEO of Olive Energy Sdn Bhd, Alex Baker of Leaf Development LLC and Timothy Wong from Agensi Inovasi Malaysia. The session will be moderated by Professor Clem Kuek, Dean for R&D, Curtin University Malaysia.
The second plenary session will revolve around emerging technologies and the panelists are, Ahmad Helmi Abdul Halim, Senior Director of MIMOS Berhad, Jay Padasian who is Senior Vice President of Heathcare Bio at Bioeconomy Corporation, and Dr Collin Shelley, CEO of Neo Crab.
This session, moderated by Associate Professor Dr Peter Morin Nissom of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, will cover development and technologies in the ICT, biomedical and aquaculture sectors.
The Bioeconomy Day workshop that follows in the afternoon will present bioeconomy programmes and initiatives run by the Bioeconomy Corporation of Malaysia.
A group breakout session will also discuss the Bioeconomy Community Development Programme (BCDP), identification of opportunities under the Bioeconomy Transformation Programme (BTP), opportunities for commercialising R&D via technology support and facilitation for human capital, funding, regulatory and SME development.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia (MOSTI), Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau, is expected to officiate the event in the morning.
Researchers, government officials, members of village cooperatives, entrepreneurs and businesses are invited to join the one day event.
Those interested can register by sending an email to constance@sbc.org.my or calling Ms Constance Vanessa Victor at 082-610610.
Participation in the event is free of charge. As seats are limited, those interested are advised to register before 4 May, 2017.
