Taiwan and Malaysia collaborate on leveraging Taiwanese medical devices from innovation to cash flows

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) of Taiwan, alongside five Global Academia-Industry Alliance (GAIA) members, have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with University of Malaya (UM) and the university’s spin-off company, BioApps Sdn. Bhd. (BioApps-UM) to form collaboration of innovative research and development (R&D), clinical trials, training and education, and services in the fields of medical devices and bioengineering on June 14 at the Grand Hotel in Taipei.

The signing of this MoU will begin a new era in the Taiwanese medical device industry as it will enter into the Malaysian market, thus opening a brand new channel for marketing Taiwanese medical devices and equipment to Asia and the rest of the world.

Moreover, this collaboration not only will help overcome problems faced by Taiwanese brands in the international market, but also create better economic benefits and impacts through academic innovation, leading research and evidence-based clinical trials.

Witnessed by Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Chia-Juch Chang, the signing ceremony was attended by NCKU President Hwung-Hweng Hwung, UM President &Vice Chancellor Dato’ Mohd. Amin Jalaludin, and Southern Taiwan Science Park Director General Chun-Wei Chen, representatives of BioApps-UM and GAIA members including Codent Technical Industry, Taiwan Caretech Corporation, SportsArt Fitness, Matise Instruments, and 4G Technology, who acknowledged the agreement as creating a win-win opportunity for both Malaysia and Taiwan.

According to this agreement, the six Taiwanese medical device manufacturers will be able to market and sell their products such as medical equipment and rehabilitation aids to Malaysia through BioApps-UM under collaborated evidence-based clinical trials and research. Also, all the parties involved will also collaborate in building world-class brands and entering the Southeast Asian market.

There will also be future plans to establish and expand collaborative relationships with key opinion leaders at top university’s hospitals in the world in order to promote and market Taiwanese medical devices to Southeast Asia, India, Russia and the rest of the world.

NCKU Medical Device Innovation Center (NCKU MDIC), led by NCKU Director Fong-Chin Su, has chosen Malaysia as the first base of Taiwan’s medical devices mainly because of the close relationships established between NCKU and many other Southeast and South Asian universities through the Presidents’ Forum of Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU).