Propelling resilient economy at MaGIC's E-Nation conference

CYBERJAYA – Entrepreneurs, innovators, regulators, investors, policy makers and industry leaders converged at E-Nation, the country’s most anticipated entrepreneurship ecosystem symposium on 1 October.

Among the notable speakers are Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin, former South Korean Prime Minister Dr Un-Chan Chung, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, New York University Professor of Risk Engineering Prof Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Google Malaysia Country Head Marc Woo.

Held from 20-23 October, this year’s conference will connect 1,000 participants from across the start-ups ecosystem with 65 speakers and moderators in developing a sustainable innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem for the nation.

Organised by the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) for a second consecutive year, E-Nation is MaGIC’s flagship annual conference to connect tech start-ups, social enterprises, innovators, thought leaders and academics with investors, corporate innovator and technology partners, policy makers, regulators and government agencies.

Participants will also have access to mentoring sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs, advisors and investors from around the region. This year’s theme, Propelling a Resilient Economy, is propped by three pillars – Embracing Change, Enabling Technology and Empowering Societies.

MaGIC CEO Dzuleira Abu Bakar said the three pillars are apt given the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only impacted public health but induced a global recession.

“COVID-19 has accelerated the need for innovation and created game-changing opportunities for the nation to bounce back and establish economic resilience via innovation and creativity,” said Dzuleira.

“We need to embrace change to ensure business growth and sustainability. There are lessons to be learnt from the global health crisis, and it is important to learn, adapt and pivot. And by enabling technology, such as the application of Artificial Intelligence or Robotics, we are able to reengineer the way we operate and transform our futures,” she added.

With physical distancing protocols to adhere to, this year’s E-Nation will be presented on a hybrid platform of virtual and physical at the MaGIC campus in Cyberjaya.

Due to COVID-19, Dzuleira said innovation has become more crucial in both survival and recovery of startups and social enterprises.

The emphasis on an innovation-driven economy has been acknowledged by the Government, who recently launched the RM100 million National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) and RM10 million Social Impact Matching Grant.

Dzuleira pointed out that many projects under NTIS brought about meaningful social impact through innovation. Ethovent, a semi-ventilator, was developed within seven weeks to help healthcare workers cope with the shortage of ventilators at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the MCK-19 robot was developed to help deliver meals to hospital rooms, thus reducing physical contact between staff and patients.