A solar energy company in Malaysia is collaborating with Russia to establish the Russian-Malaysian Hi-Tech Centre (RMHTC) will help accelerate advanced technologies in Malaysia and transform the country into a high-technology nation.
The RMHTC, which aims to be the hub of Russia Hi-Tech in ASEAN, will be an accelerator for the Russian-Malaysian collaboration in entrepreneurship and education using Malaysia as a springboard into the rest of ASEAN. The centre is to serve as a home for leading Russian Malaysian Hi-Tech Joint Ventures, a showcase of Russian Hi-Tech, a centre of Russian Science and Technology education, and a comprehensive support base for Russian technology businesses and universities in Malaysia.
RMHTC Establishment
The centre was officially launched virtually in Moscow, about a month ago with the official signing of the shareholders’ agreement among the three shareholders, namely, the Malaysian solar tech firm, a Russian-based IT and semiconductor solutions provider, and a leading Russian hi-tech non-profit organisation.
The centre’s objective is to facilitate collaborative efforts between Malaysian and Russian educational institutions and also both Malaysian high-tech companies to develop products using core Russian technologies, or whatever the nations have developed over the years, as well to come out with products that will be used in ASEAN and to be exported.
The Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in Malaysia stated that the government authority always supports initiatives that would benefit the country and Russian companies. He said the decision to create the RMHTC in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, was made in October last year during the first meeting of a joint intergovernmental Russian-Malaysian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Among the technologies involved are advanced digital production, industrial Internet of Things, robotics, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems of the distributed registry, and virtual augmented realities.
Partnerships are also being planned in the areas of 3D printing and aerial drones, which are expected to be highly demanded in future.
Major Projects
Two major projects have been identified, namely concentrated solar and medical technology.
Based on the data provided, the level of collaboration was concentrated in the purchase of coal in Russia, hence, Malaysia can take this matter up further in forging more collaborations in the areas of high technology, such as renewable energy (RE).
As Russia excels in high technology of this area, Malaysia aims to like to share this with the local medical fraternity too. Thus, going forward, Malaysia will be identifying more areas of collaborations with Russia.
The vision is to see the centre turns into a technology hub not just for Malaysia but also uses Malaysia as a springboard for ASEAN and to incubate with development among hi-tech companies and this will eventually translate into manufacturing and into other areas that can be exported.
Technology plays a vital role in developing a country economically and socially. It has the potential to drive economic growth and enhance social wealth by increasing income levels.
For Malaysia, the high-technology industry has been the key contributor to the national economy, contributing US$90.3 billion of exports in 2018, mainly from manufacturing exports which stood at 52.8 per cent, according to the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT).
In addition, Malaysia has also achieved double-digit growth in high-technology exports for the last two years, with year-on-year growth of 17.2 per cent in 2017 and 22 per cent in 2018. High technology (hi-tech) is defined as the use of new technologies to create products or services not previously available.
