Bernama.com (Malaysian National News Agency), September 19, 2006 22:14 PM

Malaysia To Upgrade Six Nanotechnology Centres, Says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will upgrade the existing six nanotechnology centres to woo the best scientists locally and from abroad, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday night.

"Under the National Nanotechnology Initiative, these centres will be upgraded to become centres of excellence that will attract not only the best talents from within Malaysia but also scientists from outside Malaysia.

"They will operate as a network of centres of excellence to facilitate mobility of scientists and the sharing of resources," he said when opening the International Council for Science (ICSU) regional office for Asia and the Pacific here.

The ICSU was formerly known as the International Council for Scientific Unions. A non-governmental organisation established in 1931, it is devoted to promoting the development of the sciences.

Malaysia has been chosen as host for its second regional office in the world, after Pretoria, South Africa.

"Nanoscience and nanotechnolgy have tremendous potential to enable the generation of new technologies and products across a vast array of fields including health care, information technology, energy production and national defence.

"The impact of nanotechnology on our way of life is believed to reach profound levels in the coming decades. The global race to incorporate nanotechnology into products is going on at an unprecedented rate," he added.

Najib, who is also defence minister, said the government planned to establish a National Nanotechnology Centre, and this reflected the pivotal role of nanotechnology in Malaysia's economic development.

"Malaysia realises that the development of new and emerging technologies such as nanotechnology and biotechnology requires extensive collaboration and networking with international partners," said Najib.

Therefore, the setting up of the ICSU regional office in Kuala Lumpur will become an important channel for enhancing Malaysia's international linkages.

"I am optimistic that the ICSU regional office will not only help promote greater collaboration and sharing of knowledge among scientists in the Asian and Pacific region but it will also ensure that the gap between developed and developing countries in technology transfer is narrowed.

"With the establishment of ICSU, we have put in place the right strategy and hopefully created the necessary science and technology capabilities for us to make the next quantum leap towards consolidating and strengthening science in developing societies," he said.

The Academy of Science Malaysia has been chosen as ICSU's host organisation.

Present were Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis and ICSU president Prof Goverdhan Mehta.

-- BERNAMA