KUCHING, 6 OCTOBER 2023 – Yet another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony took place today between Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) university and industry partners at the 27th World Congress on Innovation and Technology 2023 and the 6th International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak 2023 (WCIT | IDECS 2023).
The ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development II Sarawak YB Datuk Francis Harden anak Hollis, and Chairman of SDEC YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Morshidi Bin Abdul Ghani.
Under SDEC Technology Accelerator (STAcc) Programme, the MoU exchange between Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd looks into collaboration on technology or market validation for the testing of technology for smart waste management.
Additionally, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sarawak exchanged MoU with three parties namely SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd, Turn Red Supplier Sdn Bhd, and Hornbill Agriculture Sdn Bhd.
Focusing on cashless society in rural areas, the MoU with SiliconNet Technologies delves into research development for fintech under SDEC Translational Research Grant (TRG) initiatives, while the MoU with Turn Red Supplier is on the testing of stingless bee tracking mechanism. The collaboration with Hornbill Agriculture is centred around the testing of technology for crayfish hatchery.
The event also saw SDEC exchanged MoU with its industry partners in the fields of telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technology.
The MoU with iHeal Medical Centre aims to establish a mutual understanding to collaborate on deploying a telemedicine software solution with the capacity to seamlessly reach and connect the underserved rural communities within Sarawak.
Meanwhile, SDEC and Cloud4Sea explores potential collaboration on AI based smart retail system such as AI based vending machine. With Pulsy Technology, SDEC intends to collaborate on digital technology, carbon reduction, and ESG (environmental, social and governance) for various industry and economic sectors in Sarawak.
At the event, SDEC also announced the opening of Cohort 3 of Digital Village Accelerator (DiVA), a flagship programme within the Sarawak Digital and Innovation Ecosystem. Organised by SDEC, DiVA targets local startups to accelerate their growth and maturity with emphasis on increased revenue generation, market expansion, and investment potential.
For more information on Cohort 3, visit www.diva.sarawak.digital. Interested startups may register at bit.ly/DIVACOHORT3 from 6October to 31December 2023.
Commenting on the importance of the MoU exchange, Chief Executive Officer of SDEC Ir. Ts. Sudarnoto Osman said, it served as a starting point and signified the willingness of each party to come together to achieve a common goal.
“SDEC is proud to announce these strategic partnerships as we continue our pursuit in digitalising the state of Sarawak. These collaborations enable the parties to leverage on each other’s skillset and work in tandem to unlock new opportunities for the benefit of our people,” he said.
He also shared that DiVA Cohort 1 and 2 saw the rise of various startups that have completed the programme and achieved success in Sarawak and beyond with some receiving further funding amounting to millions of ringgit.
“This is in line with our goal to ensure these startups are able to be launched to a bigger stage, thus benefitting the State through economic development, high skilled job creation, investments and many more,” he added.
Additionally, one of SDEC’s DiVA Cohort 1 residents and Malaysia’s leading enterprise blockchain platform SINISANA Technologies exchanged a Collaboration Agreement with Kakitangan.com, Malaysia’s leading one-stop human resource platform, to champion transparency and establish an ethical and sustainable work environment for both workers and employers.