KUCHING: The Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) is targeting the official launch of its facility in the third quarter of 2027 as part of its efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and biomedical science in the region.
SIDC chief executive officer Professor Dr Ivan Yap Kok Seng said the centre, which marked its second anniversary, originated from an idea in 2019 to establish a centre of excellence in infectious disease research and development (R&D) on par with leading centres in the region.
“SIDC began operations in early 2024 with just one staff member. Within two years, the idea has grown into something much bigger with the support of various parties, although our physical facility is still under construction.
“Our facility is scheduled to be officially launched in the third quarter of 2027, and we look forward to welcoming our partners to the launch ceremony then,” he said.
He mentioned this in his welcoming remarks when officiating the Sarawak SHInE International Conference 2026, launched by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at Imperial Hotel here yesterday (sept 10).
He said the establishment of the centre received strong support from Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD), and the Sarawak Research and Development Council (SRDC).
He added that the conference was not only held to commemorate SIDC’s anniversary but also served as an important platform to bring together expertise, experience and innovation that could benefit Borneo and the surrounding region.
“The health and geographical challenges faced in Borneo require strong collaboration and collective exchange of ideas, rather than working in isolation.
“Our hope is to establish SIDC as a regional hub for biomedical science capacity building and pandemic preparedness so that we will be better equipped to face any future health threats,” he said.
At the conference, five strategic cooperation documents (MoUs/MoAs) were signed with local and international partners.
SIDC signed a collaboration with Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) and BIOTEC Thailand to enhance infectious disease research, regional ASEAN outbreak control, BSL-3 laboratory technology transfer, as well as the development of local vaccines and biologics under the VaxBioD Programme.
SRDC also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) through TROPI to advance research into environmental health and indoor air quality.
To strengthen innovation, SRDC also collaborated with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) to protect and commercialise local R&D outputs under the SRDC Innovation Corridor, while also partnering with BioVerde Technologies (BVT) to formulate the Sarawak Bioeconomy and Biotechnology Roadmap (2026–2035).
