In realizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Malaysia and the UK to strengthen the digital partnership between both countries a year ago, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the UK Department for International Trade (DIT), together with the Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp), are set to welcome the largest tech delegation from the UK to ever visit Malaysia.
On 25th of July 2017, DIT together with Malaysia’s Global Entrepreneurship Movement (GEM) held a soft launch for the UK Mega Tech mission at Common Ground, an innovative co-working space located in Damansara Heights. The launch was officiated by Secretary General to the Treasury and Patron and Founder of GEM – YBhg. Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar bin Abdullah jointly with British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Her Excellency Vicki Treadell CMG MVO.
The Mega Tech Mission, which will consist of a delegation of up to 50 British tech companies, will be in Malaysia from 9-11 October 2017 in search of opportunities to connect, collaborate and innovate with potential Malaysian business partners. The two-day, invite-only gathering is designed to bring together techpreneurs, start/scale-ups and established businesses focusing on Fintech, Big Data Analytics, Smart Cities, E-Commerce, Internet of Things, Cloud & Data Storage and CyberSecurity. The event will see pitching sessions, panel discussions, business matching opportunities and a networking reception taking place in the quest to fully integrate and connect participants.
The mission accomplishes one of the many benchmarks set by the latest Malaysia-UK collaboration in the tech sector since the signing of the MOU between MDEC and the UK’s DIT one year ago. Her Excellency Vicki Treadell, visibly delighted by progress made by both countries so far said the following:
“Tech partnerships between Malaysia and the UK are delivering results. In the last year, we have seen MDEC sign three MOUs in the areas of cyber security and smart cities as well as MDEC participation in London Technology Week for two consecutive years. Furthermore, MDEC reports that Direct Investment from the UK to Malaysia for the tech sector stands at RM269.9m with the UK’s DIT recording RM40m of tech exports into Malaysia. We now have the largest UK tech mission ever to visit Malaysia. We want to keep the momentum going, with Malaysia as our partner of choice in the technology sector.”
Echoing equal enthusiasm and shared spirit for both nations is Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar bin Abdullah, who said the following:
“In keeping with the fourth industrial revolution, Malaysian businesses are ready with bigger appetites to cater to a global market. With UK’s technology sector being at the forefront of many hi-tech developments, it makes for great synergy when Malaysian companies actively connect and expand their businesses to collaborate to directly benefit from the cross-overs of talent and innovations. On the other hand, for the UK tech companies, we welcome you to look at Malaysia as the most strategic base in Asia given our commitment to position digital economy as a key to Malaysia’s transformation towards TN50. We have since launched the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) as well as the Malaysia Digital Hub providing conducive and inclusive regulations, policies and facilities.”
Malaysian techpreneurs, start/scale-ups and established businesses who are looking to collaborate and innovate with UK partners can sign up for the Mega Tech Mission 2017 in September via the UK award-winning B2B platform, Inspired Mobile.
The following are the strategic partners for the Mega Tech Mission 2017:
1. British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC)
2. BT Malaysia
3. GBS Iskandar
4. Global Entrepreneurship Movement (GEM)
5. Invest Selangor
6. Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)
7. Johor State Investment Centre
8. Malaysian Association of ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs (MAAYE)
9. Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
10. Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MAGIC)
11. Malaysia International Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MICCI)
12. Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
13. SME Corporation Malaysia
14. Standard Chartered
15. The National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM)
GEM is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization with a mission to democratize entrepreneurship in Malaysia. GEM aims to strategically align the various entrepreneurs’ communities and agencies be it public or private in Malaysia; with the ecosystems in the global marketplace. To date, GEM has more than 10,000 affiliate members, 24 corporate members and 18 committee members who are industry leaders, each with prolific achievements in their respective fields of work.
