Malaysia’s NTIS initiative has approved 142 projects, disbursed RM50 million, and generated over RM1.2 billion in export value for 14 homegrown technologies.

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Technology and Innovation Sandbox initiative is accelerating the commercialisation of homegrown technologies by providing a live testing environment.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said the programme offers regulatory facilitation, funding matching and technical assistance.

He stated that the level of government support is on par with similar sandbox initiatives in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“NTIS offers the same functions, with the added focus on funding matching and technical assistance for commercialisation,” he told the Dewan Negara.

One notable success is the QuikHalal application developed by Holistics Lab Sdn Bhd, a spin-off from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia researchers.

The platform provides digital halal auditing solutions for the market.

Mohammad Yusof noted that 142 projects have been approved under NTIS so far.

Approximately RM50 million has been disbursed based on project achievements to date.

Of these, 14 technological solutions have successfully entered international markets.

Their combined export value now exceeds RM1.2 billion.

The NTIS platform is designed as an express pathway to help startups overcome bureaucratic hurdles.

It provides regulatory exemptions and fosters cross-agency collaboration for participants.

The government also facilitates international market access through partnerships with halal certification bodies.

This ensures local Islamic technologies can penetrate global markets effectively.

In the pharmaceutical sector, local company Ain Medicare Sdn Bhd has produced over 98 products.

More than 60 of these are halal-certified and exported to West Asian markets.

 The Sun Malaysia