MALAYSIA-CHINA SRF 2025: MOSTI FUNDS EIGHT RESEARCH PROJECTS WORTH RM10.47 MLN

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) today awarded RM10.47 million to eight research projects under the Malaysia-China Strategic Research Fund (SRF) Request for Proposal (RFP) 2025.

Its minister, Chang Lih Kang said the initiative reflects Malaysia’s continued commitment to strengthening research, innovation and international collaboration, particularly in strategic science and technology domains.

"The Malaysia-China SRF initiative is jointly funded by MOSTI and China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). This collaboration exemplifies the international confidence in Malaysia’s scientific capabilities and provides a vital platform for impactful and commercially viable research that benefits both society and industry,” Chang said in his speech at the SRF Awards Presentation Ceremony here today.

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He said the Malaysia–China partnership in science, technology and innovation (STI) was formalised in 2013 through a bilateral cooperation agreement and has since expanded through various joint programmes.

Chang said during his working visit to China from April 23 to 27 last year, which coincided with the 3rd Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on STI, both countries agreed to jointly fund six research and development projects in priority areas such as energy storage technology, human vaccines, space technology, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and advanced materials.

The eight successful projects awarded under SRF 2025 involve researchers from Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which secured two projects, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah and Multimedia University.

These universities will collaborate with their partners in China, including universities and industry players, namely Shandong University, Fudan University and Abogen Biosciences.

Chang also said the programme serves as a platform to support research with industrial relevance, commercialisation potential, talent mobility and technology transfer.

“I urge all recipients to use this opportunity strategically to build partnerships that create compounded value not only for academic excellence, but also for national competitiveness, commercial impact and societal benefit.

“Let this collaboration be more than a bilateral programme; let it be a catalyst that accelerates knowledge exchange, strengthens technological sovereignty, and advances scientific progress aligned with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI: integrity, sustainability, inclusivity and shared prosperity for all,” he added.

-- BERNAMA