Call for Applications: Malaysia-Spain Innovating Programme

Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology E.P.E. (CDTI), Ministry of Science & Innovation, Government of Spain, are the nodal implementing agencies from Malaysia and Spanish sides, respectively.

Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) is an agency under the purview of Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) in charge of the development of the high technology industry in Malaysia. Its key role is building and driving partnerships in technology through a consensus building platform between the private and public sector and providing strategic advice and alliances to shape high technology studies, capacity building through policy interventions as well as flagship programmes and strategies for the country.

On the Malaysian side, the Department of Higher Education (DOHE), a government department under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) overseeing higher education matters in Malaysia has decided to join in as additional funding agency. Higher education institutions under the purview of DOHE are public universities and private higher education institutions. DOHE is the key department responsible in developing policy and programmes in pushing the Malaysian higher education excellence. DOHE is also responsible in strategizing and realizing the initiative to strengthen Malaysia’s research capacity through various programmes. Since 2007, DOHE has introduced programmes to develop and strengthen research foundation in Malaysia. DOHE is now pursuing international collaboration to intensify research and innovation.

Thematic Areas

This Call for proposals is open to collaborative R&D projects in the following thematic areas:

• Sustainable City Development
  • Smart Cities (sustainable cities and transport networks, smart grids): smart energy systems, building and space sustainability, intelligent transport and mobility, societal challenges – inclusion, education, health, tourism, etc. – electronic, open, and participatory government.
  • Access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing, transportation and basic services;
  • Integrated technologies towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change and resilience to disasters;
  • Cyber Security, Smart / Intelligent Solutions for smart city management, smart community development.
• Knowledge Based Economy (k-Economy):
  • Waste to Wealth – reduce adverse environmental impact of cities, paying special attention to the quality of municipal and other waste management; innovative business models and or technologies on products / processes / services of recycled and or by products, innovative technologies / solutions on waste separation, etc.
• Advanced Manufacturing and Materials
  • New and enhanced processes to manufacture existing products; design and manufacture of new products through the development and adoption of advanced technologies, materials, management systems and processes; servisitation of products and life cycle management.
• Health
  • Health research is prioritized to gather the clinical and epidemiological evidence necessary for the development of new diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines. Digital health solutions to support healthcare professionals and patients manage illnesses and health risks, as well as promote health and well-being.
• Electrical & Electronics
  • The future trends for electrical and electronics that involved extensive research, design & development are IoT, 5Gs applications, wireless power transfer, electrical safety, drones, artificial intelligence, sensor technologies, autonomous cars, to name a few. The solutions will enable adoption to fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) elements by the industries and help them to move up the value chain.
• Aerospace
  • The aerospace industry is among the leading industries embracing fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) technology. The core sub-sectors such as MRO, aerospace manufacturing, systems integration, engineering & design are among the sectors identified to boost the aerospace industry ecosystem.
• Smart Agriculture
  • Smart farming is an emerging concept that refers to managing farms using technologies like IoT, robotics, drones, and AI to increase the quantity and quality of products while optimizing the human labour required by production. This is the driving force behind the rise of Smart Agriculture technology.

Funding Information

• MIGHT will fund 1 project for each thematic area, with MYR500,000.00 for each project which is equivalent to €106,120.00.  The funding for your eligible project cost would be:
  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small business
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business
  • up to 50% if you are a large business
• Project Duration: 2 years

Eligible Cost

• The project must clearly specify the costs of each and all the activities pertaining to the project and specify the costs to be respectively borne by the Spanish and Malaysian partners. The cost of the Malaysian and Spanish partners must be eligible under the laws that may be applicable in each country and under internal regulations of CDTI, MOHE and MIGHT respectively.
• The funding conditions from MOHE and MIGHT are set in MYR and the ones from CDTI in €. Budgets must be expressed in the local currency of each applicant. All figures and budgetary conditions in this Call refer to the value of both currencies on the date of the launch of the Call.
• None of the countries´ budget (namely the budget of its entities participating in the proposal) can have more than 70% of the global budget.

Who can apply?

• Eligible Spanish Applicants
  • Spanish consortia should include at least one company. Participation of research institutes/universities and other organizations is welcome as self-funded participants or subcontractors.
• Eligible Malaysian Applicants
  • Projects can be either business or research organization-led but must involve a Malaysia business of any size and involve a Malaysia academia and collaborate with Spanish eligible partners.
  • Key Malaysian academic eligibility criteria include:
    • Research Organizations (ROs) eligible to apply are Public Universities. Researchers based in other ROs can be a Co-Investigator but not eligible to apply as a Principal Investigator.
    • The Malaysian PI must have been awarded a doctorate at the time of application. Applicants working towards a PhD or awaiting the outcome of their viva/submission of corrections are not eligible to apply.
    • Applicants must be Malaysian citizens and hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible university or higher learning institute in Malaysia. Applicants with fixed terms contracts finishing before their grant end-date must secure confirmation from their RO stating that their contract will be extended to cover the duration of the award if their application is successful.
    • Contact between the Malaysian PI and other collaborators prior to the application is essential. This contact should lead to a clearly defined and mutually beneficial project proposal. Please note that MOHE will not assist in locating external collaborators.
    • The Malaysian applicant’s employing organization must be willing to agree to administer the grant.

For more information, visit MIGHT.