Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research YB Dato Sri Michael Manyin ak Jawong (centre), flanked by Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) Dr Yeo Tiong Chia (left) and Chairman of Sarawak Biodiversity Council YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot (right), seals a time capsule during SBC’s 21-year anniversary celebration at Pullman Hotel, Kuching on Friday, 6 December 2019.
The sealing of the time capsule, which was to be opened 100 years from the day of the event, marked the launch of SBC’s mission towards global prominence as it leveraged on the commercialisation of its research breakthroughs.
In his speech read by Dato Sri Michael Manyin, Chief Minister YAB Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg congratulated the centre for being a major player in developing and expanding research areas in Sarawak’s biodiversity, having transformed from a regulatory body into a full-fledged research and development organisation.
As SBC would play a key role in the development of the bio-based industry in the State in the near future, he expected the centre “to be involved in the development of research and commercialisation – in collaboration with other agencies such as the Sarawak Research and Development Council and established research centres at national and international levels, as well as those from the private sector.”
“SBC should continue to pioneer new ways of integrating local communities in the process of discovering new uses of Sarawak’s biodiversity for commercialisation,” he added.
In conjunction with the celebration, Dato Sri Michael Manyin launched The Sarawak Biodiversity Centre’s Journey, a publication by SBC which chronicled its journey of discovery and innovation in biodiversity from 1998 to 2019.
