KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 29): Corporations can now apply for the BIG Programme (BIG 2.0), a RM15 million initiative to embed innovation in corporate Malaysia and drive collaborations between corporates and start-ups.
The programme, previously known as Bengkel Inovasi GLC, is jointly led by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), and delivered by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd.
“Across the world, economies that succeed are those where corporates do not merely observe technological change, but actively absorb, deploy and scale it. Corporate innovation is critical because corporates are the largest engines of scale, shaping supply chains, setting industry standards and determining how quickly new technologies reach the market,” said Chang Lih Kang, minister of Mosti at The BIG Corporate Innovation Forum.
“When corporates move slowly, innovation stalls. But when they lead, the entire ecosystem accelerates.”
Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong added: “This is the time to see ourselves as a technology nation. Everything that we do, we no longer think about just how many foreign workers we want to hire, but think about how much technology we want to proliferate, and how
we want to make it cheaper, easier to adopt across the board. This is where we should see ourselves and there's no better time than now.”
BIG 2.0 offers a 12-month structured pathway from problem definition to implementation, supported by matching grants and access to Cradle's innovation ecosystem. The programme turns corporate demand into real market access for start-ups.
Start-ups need the exposure to live enterprise environments, real workflows and opportunity to deploy and scale their solutions. Through the BIG programme, corporates can play that critical role by opening their doors to new innovation,” Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, group CEO of Cradle, said.
The programme offers two tracks to match different innovation needs. The corporate–start-up partnership track allows corporations to pilot and adopt existing startup solutions. Meanwhile, the corporate co-development track enables corporations to build new solutions alongside startups.
Each selected company is eligible for a matching grant of up to RM2 million to support solution development, validation and real-world implementation in partnership with start-ups.
Under BIG 1.0, eight government-linked companies (GLCs) worked with start-ups to develop and deploy solutions that have entered live operations, secured paying customers or progressed into scaling phases.
For instance, the Malaysia Aviation Group deployed an AI-Vision airport turnaround management solution to enhance on-time performance. Another example is CelcomDigi, which built a system that capitalises on their network for smart warehousing using Internet of Things
and robotics.
“When all of these are commercialised and scaled, the combined impact of this innovation has the potential to unlock up to RM1 billion in long-term value,” said Vanhaecke.
BIG 2.0 will be delivered through three cohorts beginning February, with applications opening every three months. GLCs, public-listed companies and MOF Incorporated companies interested in participating may contact the programme team at [email protected].