YIM Expands Innovation Projects To Boost Local Community Income

MELAKA, July 16 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Innovation Foundation (YIM) is committed to expanding its focus on social innovation and technology matching to directly boost the income of local communities.

Its chief executive officer Dr Sharmila Mohamed Salleh said YIM’s holistic approach, which includes pairing technologies with innovations, providing training and supplying suitable equipment, offers the best solution to challenges faced by small-scale entrepreneurs.

She said many local operators struggle with weather dependency, limited facilities and traditional methods that hinder productivity.

“Under the MyIS Komuniti programme, we aim to identify innovations that can be matched with appropriate technologies. We’re looking beyond products, focusing on social innovation that encompasses research, replication and its impact on both the economy and the community,” she said.

She was speaking to reporters after the Southern Zone Innovation Tracing Programme under YIM’s flagship Malaysia Social Innovation Programme (MyIS Komuniti), along with the MaGRIs/MyIS Grassroots and Youth Innovative Challenge (YIC), held in Pantai Kundor today.

The programme was officially launched by Pantai Kundor state assemblywoman Tuminah Kardi.

Earlier, Sharmila visited four local projects namely the traditional inang-inang food production in Kampung Paya Luboh, fibreglass boat manufacturing in Kampung Gelam, dried fish production in Kampung Balik Bukit and a proposed site for nipah crab and mussel farming at the Sungai Lereh fishing jetty.

She noted that some of the highlighted innovations include improved fish-drying techniques that reduce dependence on sunlight and the development of child-friendly inang-inang snacks.

Sharmila also urged innovators to apply for remaining grants under this year’s MyIS programme, which has allocated RM6.725 million, comprising RM3 million for MyIS Komuniti, RM2 million for MaGRIs and RM1.725 million for the Ruang Daya Cipta (RDC) initiative.

“Since its launch in 2015, the programme has benefited more than 200,000 innovators, with over RM50 million in support provided through equipment, training, advisory services and comprehensive impact reporting,” she said, adding that only the 20 best applications will be selected this round.

YIM is also seeking additional funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to further extend its reach to grassroots communities.

“Many local innovations are weather-dependent, so we need to introduce more resilient technologies to ensure income continuity, even during storms or heavy rain,” she said, stressing that cross-agency collaboration is vital to developing a complete value chain, from research to market.

-- BERNAMA