KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) has proposed changes to Malaysia’s innovation targets after the country fell short of its 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) goals, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and global economic slowdown as major factors.
Malaysia’s position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) is closely linked to government research spending (GERD), the number of researchers, technological output and the overall quality of the innovation ecosystem. Declines in GERD have negatively affected nearly all components of the GII score.
In response to findings by the Auditor General’s Report, Mosti has applied to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) through the 12MP Mid-Term Review to adjust the target from ranking among the top 20 countries to the top 30 by 2025.
Looking ahead, Mosti is proposing that the 13MP adopt a relative improvement target of 20% compared to Malaysia’s current GII ranking. The ministry is also conducting the DSTIN 2021-2030 Mid-Term Review, which is expected to be finalised by March 2026.
Officials say the revised targets aim to provide more realistic and achievable benchmarks for Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem while continuing to strengthen research and development capacity.
The latest auditor general report showed that Malaysia’s push to become a high-tech, knowledge-based economy is slowed by delays, weak oversight and low completion rates in government research and development (R&D) projects.
Malaysia’s patent application goal of 2,000 per year was missed, averaging only 968 applications from 2021 to 2024.
GERD fell short of the 2.5% GDP target, reaching only 1.01% in 2022. The country ranked 34th in the Global Innovation Index, missing the top 20 target.
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