UK Mega Tech Mission eyes collaborative deals in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Kingdom (UK) Mega Tech Mission 2017, comprising 50 leading-edge technology companies will be heading to Malaysia to widen business outreach and explore new technology deals with local players.
In a statement today, the UK Department for International Trade Kuala Lumpur (DIT Kuala Lumpur) said the trade mission would be here on Oct 9-10, 2017 and Johor on Oct 11, 2017.
“Malaysian technology firms are welcomed to take part in this bespoke business-matching session as it provides a unique platform for participants to engage each other and, likely, sign-up new partnerships,” it said.
To-date, DIT Kuala Lumpur said, it has partnered with, among others, Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC), Johor State Investment Centre and GBS ISKANDAR to drive this high-profile trade mission as it shaped up over 800 bespoke business meetings within Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
National Technology Advisor for the UK Government, Liam Maxwell, said the visit was timely and in line with the declaration of 2017 as the ‘Year of the Internet Economy’ for Malaysia, which was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said the collaborative partnerships between DIT and MDEC, signed last year, has borne fruitful results with the UK foreign direct investments into Malaysia, specifically within the technology sector, up by 54% to RM270 million in 2016.
Meanwhile, MDEC Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Yasmin Mahmood, said Malaysian companies would be able to better understand the UK technology landscape and consider multiple prospects that were opened for discussion with these foreign businesses.
“These trading ties in the digital economy space will be the catalysts needed to take the strong historical cultural and economic ties that Malaysia and the UK have enjoyed and bring it onto the next level,” she said.
The three-day UK Mega Tech Mission to Malaysia followed its successful runs in Japan and South Korea.

The delegates come from companies that hail from a wide range of technology and innovation focuses such as Big Data, virtual and augmented realities, cyber-security, eCommerce, financial technology, the Internet of things, robotics, smart cities and telecommunications. — Bernama