MRANTI, an agency under The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) is a Supporting Partner of the Global Drone Conference. We interviewed Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO of MRANTI to share her thoughts about how the drone industry is developing and the support they provide to ecosystem players.
1. What are you excited to see at Global Drone Conference 2022?
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) has been a fast mover in the DroneTech space and through collaborative efforts, has enabled Malaysia to be ranked Top 3 in Drone Readiness Index, while capturing the biggest market size in Southeast Asia.
MRANTI, an agency under MOSTI, is enthusiastic about the growth of Malaysia’s DroneTech Ecosystem, which is projected to generate 50.71 billion ringgit in GDP and create 100,000 jobs by 2030.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) outlines a drone readiness index consisting of environment (being regulations, investment, research and development), readiness (being local capacity, communication and energy, technology), usage (being drone projects) and social and economic impact.
Many industry reports continue to point to how Malaysia is a frontrunner in the DroneTech industry and our rapidly growing ecosystem. As such, our mission for the industry is three-fold;
- To position Malaysia as a global DroneTech ecosystem powerhouse and actively contribute to further development of the global UAS industry;
- To attract regional and global DroneTech ecosystem players to participate and invest in Malaysia’s DroneTech companies and take active part in building required capabilities, talents, market, business, regulatory environment and infrastructure; and
- To invite participation from global subject matter experts to our DroneTech advisory panel to contribute ideas.
With the upcoming Global Drone Conference 2022, MRANTI is looking forward to meeting the Drone industry think tank and having an in-depth discussion with all Malaysian, regional, and international drone ecosystem partners.
We expect that through the Global Drone Conference, Malaysia’s drone industry would grow as rapidly as in other nations.
2. MRANTI is actively accelerating Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem. How many more local companies do you see going global in the next 5 years and how is MRANTI making this plan happen?
Innovation is widely recognized as the economic growth driver of the future. We see that the world’s wealthiest countries (based on GDP per capita by the International Monetary Fund) and those scoring high on the OECD Well-Being Index are also amongst those who are the most innovative.
The Global Innovation Index 2021 shows that Malaysia is ranked third after China and Thailand as the most innovative country in the upper middle-income group category.
MRANTI is a national agency with the resources to accelerate commercialisation of innovative ideas. It will enable Malaysian innovations to be more mission focussed – from ideas to impact and therefore, drive greater Return on Ideas (ROI).
With a budget of RM30 million under Belanjawan 2022, we will be developing several tech clusters at the MRANTI Park in Bukit Jalil such as drone tech, robotics, autonomous vehicles and agritech.
MRANTI also offers facilities such as the 5G Experience Centre, Sustainable Urban Farming Incubation Facility, Biotechnology Incubation Hub, and Autonomous Vehicle & Robotics Hub, as well as hosting the first Artificial Intelligence Park in Malaysia.
MRANTI will leverage 4IR enabling technologies involving blockchain, robotics, sensor tech, and advanced materials, among others. It is where participating startups and technology companies need to have a prototype system ready to be demonstrated in an operational environment.
In doing so, we aim to create:
- Access to programming and interventions, infrastructure and facilities, a total of 10,000 entrepreneurs, including;
- 5,000 entrepreneurs exposed to 4IR tech
- 1,250 entrepreneurs benefited from a variety of programmes and services.
- 50 firms successfully develop proof-of-concept and prototype goods;
- RM500 million in added value.
And with Southeast Asia being one of the most populous regions in the world, we have room to welcome more than 1,000 more dronetech and services companies in the region.
3. What kind of support can startups and entrepreneurs get from MRANTI?
MRANTI has over 20 initiatives to seed, sustain, and expand impact-driven innovations in an organised and methodical manner, thereby connecting domestic and international markets for entrepreneurs, companies, and the innovation ecosystem.
Among the programmes are:
- Academy + Int. Innovation Hub
For anyone looking to upskill and reskill, we offer a host of digital courses, webinars, workshops, bootcamps, custom content/programmes, custom and industry-focused coaching and mentoring, post-grants management and advisory, business acceleration, access to corporate and industry partners, alumni, investors and academia.
- National Technology and Innovation Sandbox
For researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs to test their products and services in a live environment and qualify for grants to bring those products and services to market. Funding available.
- Impact Innovation
For innovators looking to access funding and test their products in the market with corporate partners and large organisations, in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and linked to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) outcomes.
- Global Innovation Exchange (GIX)
For innovators looking to scale and / or global startups looking to set up innovation hubs in ASEAN, with Malaysia as a launchpad. Programmes include:
- Global Market Fit (GMP)
- MyStartUp Hub (MSH)
- Global Accelerator Program (GAP)
4. Drone regulations was a flashpoint for criticism from some drone industry advocates not too long ago, but the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)’s stance around what it means to operate drones in a safe manner has changed in a big way in the past year. What’s ultimately driven that change?
In 2020, MOSTI launched the National Technology Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) Initiative with MRANTI as the Lead Secretariat. NTIS acts as a platform to commercialise innovative and emerging technologies via regulatory intervention and funding assistance.
It allows researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to test their products and services in a live environment and qualify for grants to bring those products and services to market. NTIS relaxes certain regulatory requirements to accelerate the development of innovation from the R&D stage to being commercially ready.
Since its launch, the NTIS has received 546 complete applications, 148 of which have received funding, regulatory, commercial and technical support, with RM53 million of funding approved for these projects.
The returns are notable – at about 10X, as we recorded value creation (investment and revenue, as well as job creation from our programmes and by our alumni) of more than RM570 million.
Through the same initiative, MRANTI has facilitated 25 drone companies to pilot and adopt their solutions with their clients under a “Sandbox” environment with the support of regulators.
The companies involved received support in terms of financing for commercialisation, regulatory assistance and market development in the agriculture, forestry, smart cities and transportation sectors.
Through several of these sandbox sites, drones will undergo stress testing in actual environmental settings for harvesting, warehousing and many more activities.
We have constant engagement with regulators within the drone industry to further improve and develop new solutions and procedures to support the drone industry’s development while at the same time ensuring the safety of its operations.
We are also grateful to have a progressive and supportive regulatory body in Malaysia, and we will continue to collaborate for the benefit of the industry, nation and society.
5. As technology evolves too quickly, what new developments do you see when it comes to the adoption of drones in Asia?
Malaysia is now the most promising market for drone technology adoption in the region, according to Drone Industry Insights (Droneii) with potential market revenue of over USD 300 million by 2025. This is mainly due to adoption of drones in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, telco and security surveillance.
We are now looking forward to seeing new drone technology adoption in terms of drone delivery and even Urban Air Mobility (UAM) being commercialised in the near future in Malaysia and around the region. We are reaching out to our regional counterparts to further expand our DroneTech Ecosystem and community as part of our role to connect, collaborate, and catalyse the DroneTech economy in the region.
MRANTI also cooperates with agencies, enterprises, and NGOs through market access and awareness activities. MRANTI invites partners to collaborate in developing Malaysia’s drone sector, which is estimated to generate RM50.71 billion in GDP and 100,000 jobs by 2030.
6. Do you have a message you would like to share with our readers?
MRANTI aims to fast-track growth of Malaysia’s DroneTech industry and high potential companies by advocating forward looking policies, building collaborative ecosystems, facilitating financial assistance opportunities and connecting relevant communities and facilitating growth programmes through the MyDroneTech initiative.
In an effort to develop drone technology, MRANTI has come up with a few initiatives such as MakersLab for drone tech, AREA 57 and living labs.
MakersLab is the innovator’s playground to rapidly design & develop solutions through quick, affordable and convenient access to tools, equipment, space and expertise.
Area 57, an extensive 5 acres site is a Research-to-Commercialisation center to accelerate drone tech innovations and talent development in a LIVE environment.
The one-stop drone development center provides a 300 sq m drone netted area,a mock-up site, drone application testing, hangar, laboratory, manufacturing equipment, training facilities, and prototype testing area, an operations office, as well as service and maintenance workshop for operators.
Through Area 57, we want to implement better use case studies and adapt rules to drive innovation as there will be facilitation to support the efforts of drone companies, especially in terms of regulation and cooperation with agencies
We would like to invite drone players to speak to us about advancing their innovations, thus building the country’s dronetech industry to greater heights. See you at the Global Drone Conference!
MRANTI WILL BE EXHIBITING AT THE INNOVATE TECH SHOW 2022 HELD AT MATRADE KUALA LUMPUR FROM 19-21 OCTOBER 2022 WHERE THE GLOBAL DRONE CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION IS CO-LOCATED.
MRANTI WILL ALSO BE PART OF TWO PANEL SESSIONS ON THE MAIN STAGE AND ORGANIZING A DRONE REGULATIONS WORKSHOP AND A DRONE CAREER DAY DURING THE EVENT. REGISTER HERE FOR YOUR FREE PASS AND EVENT UPDATES.
