Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Accenture, Think City and MIMOS Berhad to drive collaboration and active involvement in Malaysia’s entrepreneurship development as part of MaGIC’s Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility (CER) network. The MOU signing took place alongside a panel discussion on “Shaping the Industries of the Future”.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation YB Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau witnessed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) exchange between MaGIC CEO Ashran Dato’ Ghazi and Accenture Country Managing Director Azwan Baharuddin, MIMOS CEO Ahmad Rizan Ibrahim, as well as Think City Program Manager Duncan Cave.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation YB Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau said, “This MOU will see Accenture and MIMOS becoming members of MaGIC’s CER Circle initiative. The partnership will bring together important factors for successful entrepreneurship programs such as MIMOS’ advanced technologies and Accenture’s prowess in strategy, services, as well as technology and business consulting. This is an excellent example of the National Blue Ocean Strategy, and MOSTI is proud to be a part of this exciting initiative.”
As members of MaGIC’s CER network, the new partners will be able to leverage on their expertise and experience to lay a strong foundation for an environment that will thrive in the economy of tomorrow. They will also play a crucial part in the development of innovation superclusters, which are crucial to accelerate innovation in Malaysia as well as connect new ideas to capital and market more efficiently.
MaGIC Chief Executive Officer Ashran Dato Ghazi said, “We are excited to announce our partnership with MIMOS, Accenture, and Think City. We’d like to thank our new partners for their commitment to helping design Malaysia’s future economy and supporting our efforts to take the next step in our nation’s economic transformation. Through our CER partners’ knowledge, technical expertise, and industry experience, we can create innovation superclusters that are well-positioned to drive growth and seize opportunity 10, 20, even 30 years from now.”
MIMOS Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Rizan Ibrahim added, “As a national R&D centre owned by the Ministry of Finance, MIMOS has been defining and developing technology platforms for Smart City initiatives. We have also established an open innovation framework for the development of technologies by industry researchers, research institutions and universities that can be leveraged by startups and technopreneurs. Our labs offer an open but safe and controlled sandbox environment for Government data where ideation, innovation and experimentation on Smart City-related technologies can take place without cyber security worries and without the need for big investments.”
Accenture Country Managing Director Azwan Baharuddin said, “Bold new thinking and innovation is critical for the nation to be future-ready. Malaysia has started on the digital journey but much more can be done and faster. We are excited to help reimagine Malaysia by promoting an innovation-led approach, paving the way for smart solutions to propel Malaysia into the future.”
MaGIC’s CER platform is a national initiative to drive greater corporate and sector involvement in entrepreneurship development. Greater collaboration between corporates and entrepreneurs could lead to a more sustainable, vibrant ecosystem. It also opens the door to diversified economic activities and inclusive economic growth as CER offers a variety of market opportunities for entrepreneurs across various industries.
The strength of MaGIC’s CER network also helps build strong foundations for innovation superclusters. First announced by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak during the Global Entrepreneurship Community 2017, innovation superclusters create an open and collaborative environment for startups, corporates, academics, and the government. They aim to nurture innovation in industries that will drive growth in the future such as smart city, agro-tech, digital health, mobility, and clean energy. These superclusters will help accelerate Malaysia’s national economic transformation and build a more prosperous Malaysia.
“Through innovation superclusters, we want to be able to turn words into actions, and put strong building blocks for our future economy today. Innovation superclusters will play to our strengths – significant work we have done over the past decades – to help fulfill our nation’s goal to become a top 20 nations in social advancement, economic development, and innovation by 2050.” added Ashran.
