Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg – File photo
KUCHING (July 26): The Sarawak government has set aside RM200 million for the construction of the new Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) in Kota Samarahan, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Abang Johari said the home of the SIDC is near the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan.
“We have RM200 million for us to build an internationally-accredited research centre in Sarawak,” he said when launching the SIDC and the Sarawak Research Development Council (SRDC) here today.
Abang Johari said the SIDC could be one of the important research centres in Malaysia, adding: “I hope scientists will do their part.”
The key functions of the SIDC are to ensure successful delivery of the SIDC physical project by 2024, laboratory work and analysis of data generated from the SIDC research projects.
The research projects are the Covid-19 Vaccine Serology study as well as establishing research collaborations with local and international partners such as the Australian National Phenome Centre and Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
SIDC is also expected to establish policy and framework to form the basis for collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
It is envisaged that these initiatives will create a vibrant, aggressive and productive research and development ecosystem that will contribute to the socio-economic development of Sarawak in years to come.
The SIDC is a research centre under the purview of the SRDC, which was set up through the Sarawak Research and Development Ordinance, 2017.
The SRDC is tasked with enabling effective coordination and research activities, facilitating and attracting meaningful collaborations between local and international research institutions and enhancing research and development activities in the state.