By Tengku Nursharina Tengku Amri
Pix Abd Raai Osman

BANGI, 27 September 2016 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) has, to date, produced more than 200 products as a result from its research and development (R&D) initiatives.

UKM Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Prof Dato’ Dr Mazlin Mokhtar said from the amount, 10 percent were successfully commercialized at the Global Entrepreneur Conference, albeit the expenses incurred.

He said in developed countries, only five percent of products that went through R&D reached the stage of commercialization.

“Thus, effort to create new products based on R&D should be intensified and the government needs to provide a conducive research ecosystem which can help in commercializing quality products,” he said after the Signing of Technology Licensing Agreement between UKM Technology Sdn Bhd and Mobile Harvesters Malaysia Sdn Bhd here, recently.

Through the agreement, UKM will be helping Mobile Harvesters to provide products from bird nests that is of high quality, clean and marketable.

Dato’ Mazlin said he is confident that the company will continue to create success in the industry, through the compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP) by the provision of clean room facilities (clean room), as well as quality assurance and control laboratory.

Meanwhile, technologies that were developed by the research led by Prof Dr Abdul Salam Babji, from UKM’s Faculty of Science and Technology, will help expedite the production of Edible Bird Nest (EBN) hydrolysate compared to existing methods.

“I hope this cooperation will produce more high-quality and marketable research and put Mobile Harvesters as the key players in the bird’s nest industry in Malaysia,” he said.

Also present at the ceremony were Managing Director of Mobile Harvesters Malaysia Sdn Bhd Lim Ed Win