Sagah: Sarawak Science Centre set for completion by end of next year

KUCHING (Nov 18): The Sarawak Science Centre is currently 43 per cent complete and is scheduled for completion by end of next year, said Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

He thanked Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for the RM135 million allocation next year to fund the ongoing construction of the centre.

“From 2019 to 2024, Sarawak Research and Development Council (SRDC) funded RM16.6 million worth of 79 innovative projects. As of today, 58 per cent of these projects have been completed, while 42 per cent is ongoing.

“These have resulted in 28 publications in tier 1 and 2 journals, 14 filed Intellectual Properties, and the ongoing training of 24 PhD and 22 Master’s Degree students,” he said when delivering his winding up speech during the State Legislative Assembly sitting today.

Sagah said the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) has become a member of the UK-SEA Vaccine Hub and is actively collaborating with Hilleman Laboratories (Singapore), Biotec (Thailand) and the University of Sheffield (UK) for SIDC’s vaccine development programme.

According to him, this collaboration involves the transfer of critical knowledge and vaccine platform technology to Sarawak, facilitating future vaccine manufacturing and distribution.

He said SIDC has established partnerships with local agencies and international entities such as Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPHI), Bioneer and SD Biosensors South Korea to enhance diagnostics and disease surveillance for targeted diseases namely Tuberculosis, Malaria, Rabies and African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV).

“SIDC is dedicated to developing a skilled biomedical workforce. My ministry, through SIDC, is collaborating with Murdoch University through initiatives like the SIDC-Murdoch University Joint Research and Training Centre.

“Supported by the Australia Awards Fellowship (worth AU$300,000) from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), this initiative allows 10 SIDC staff members to undertake specialised training at Murdoch University in Perth, starting February 2025.

“To support these strategic areas, SIDC has successfully secured extramural funding totalling RM1.2 million for field testing tools and researcher capacity building,” he added.

Sagah was delighted that the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) received the Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Augustine Ong International Award for Lifetime Achievement this year.

He said the award, conferred by the Malaysian Oil Scientists and Technologists Association, is a testament to Tropi’s contributions to sustainable oil palm cultivation and climate change mitigation.

He was also glad that Tropi has published five scientific papers in high-impact journals and presented 41 conference papers.

“One of the international symposiums held this year in Kuching was the 15th International Sago Symposium. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has highly commended the event for its dual focus on food security and environmental restoration, emphasising its strong alignment with urgent global priorities in addressing climate change,” he said.

Building on the success of the symposium, Sagah said Tropi has been invited by several plantations, starting with SD Guthrie in Bintulu, to use the sago palm for their peatland restoration programme.

“The role of sago palm in stabilising carbon pools and reducing carbon emissions is in line with Malaysia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target to reduce the carbon intensity by 45 per cent of GDP by 2030.

“In addition, restored peatlands act as important carbon sinks, directly supporting Malaysia’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” he added.