KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Malaysia can become a producer of human vaccines within the next 10 years through the National Vaccine Development Roadmap which will be launched in the near future, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said.

He said the plan was coordinated through strategic collaborations between various parties including government bodies, industries, academics and the community so that a more comprehensive approach could be consolidated.

"As a start, a national vaccine centre will be set up, namely the Malaysian Genome and Vaccine Institute (MGVI). This initiative needs to be expedited because the government is aware that it is difficult for Malaysia to continue to depend on and obtain vaccines from developed countries due to vaccine hoarding.

"Therefore, expertise from within the country has been identified and is being compiled to ensure that strategies and actions can be implemented according to the set timeline,” he said when winding up the debate on the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) for the ministry in Parliament today.

Meanwhile, Dr Adham said in the 12MP, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has been provided with a RM500 million research and development (R&D) fund and would ensure that 50 per cent of the fund will be used for experimental development research for projects that have the potential to be commercialised.

He said with its implementation, gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) could be increased from 1.04 per cent in 2018 to 2.5 per cent in 2025.

"Through this effort, more local companies can move from being just technology users to technology developers and creators,” he said.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues tomorrow. — Bernama