[This is a sponsored article with MRANTI.]
In a milestone achievement, Malaysia’s National Technology & Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) programme won the Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Technology Management, Planning & Implementation (Government Category) in Macau, China.
This win underscores the global standard of Malaysia’s technology sandboxing framework, where we competed with over 1,000 nominations from 29 Asia-Pacific markets to secure gold.
For context, the Stevie Awards is a global premier business award competition that evaluates thousands of the world’s most respected executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business educators.
Securing its spot on the list distinguishes the NTIS programme as a prominent regional industrial and technological player. The panel of judges even praised the programme as one that sets a new benchmark for strategic technology planning.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), YB Datuk Chang Lih Kang said, “This recognition reflects the progress we have made in strengthening Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem through NTIS.”
“This award belongs to the entire Malaysian innovation ecosystem. By working alongside regulators, industry partners, and government agencies, NTIS has proven that a collaborative ‘living lab’ approach can yield extraordinary economic results,” he added.
A cornerstone of Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem
A national government initiative spearheaded by MOSTI with Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) as its lead secretariat, NTIS provides a structured platform for researchers and startups to efficiently validate high-growth technologies like autonomous systems and advanced robotics.
It’s a dynamic and open innovation ecosystem that allows researchers and entrepreneurs to test their products and services in a live environment. Participants are then able to qualify for grants to bring their products and services to market, thereby bridging the gap between innovative concepts and being commercially viable.
Since its inception in 2020, the programme has matured from a strategic pilot into a cornerstone of Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem.
It has delivered substantial results under the 12th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-12), including but not limited to:
- facilitating over RM17.8 million in total commercialisation value,
- distributing RM142.2 million in funding to support 229 high-impact projects,
- catalysed the creation of 333 high-income jobs, strengthening the nation’s technical workforce,
- generating RM122.8 million in export value through 14 focused international projects, and
- managing a robust portfolio of 66 Intellectual Properties (IPs), with 36 new IPs filed to safeguard local innovation.
Part of the NTIS programme’s success can be attributed to its strategic partners, such as Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) in funding, as well as MIMOS and Futurise as regulatory and evaluation secretariats.
Each of these government agencies play crucial roles in coordinating the nation’s innovation ecosystem and advancing the growth of local innovators.
En route to becoming a high-tech nation
Bagging this award signals a major shift in Malaysia’s approach towards economic development, where we’re moving beyond just focusing on technological progress. Instead, we’re now focusing on getting our homegrown innovations adopted, commercialised, and ready to deliver real impact to the nation.
Ashran Dato’ Ghazi, the CEO of MRANTI and the lead secretariat of NTIS programme expressed, “Winning the Gold Stevie Award is a testament to Malaysia’s unwavering commitment to becoming a high-tech, high-income nation.”
In alignment with this, YB Datuk Chang Lih Kang shared that moving forward, the NTIS programme will be scaling its efforts in accelerating market adoption and expanding the global presence of Malaysian technologies under the 13th Malaysian Plan (RMKe-13).
As NTIS enters its next chapter, it’ll be shifting the focus towards “Deepening Impact” through its Global Testbed & Sandbox Alliance (GTSA), facilitating cross-border collaboration and regulatory harmonisation.
- Learn more about NTIS Programme here.
- Read articles we’ve written about Malaysian business here.