To enhance capacity building, promote best practices, and assist Malaysia in adopting new and next-generation technologies, the Korea Productivity Center (KPC) organized an Individual-country Observational Study Mission (IOSM) on the ROK’s Research and Development (R&D) Journey, 12–15 December. The face-to-face study mission in Seoul bolstered Malaysia’s R&D activities across government, academia, businesses, research institutions, and industries, while fostering technical cooperation and competitiveness among businesses. Six participants from Malaysia attended the IOSM, engaging in discussions with the KPC and conducting site visits to nine institutions to observe commendable R&D policies and practices with a focus on digital transformation and science and technology innovation.

Easing government regulations, including R&D-related policies, is crucial for Malaysia to stimulate business dynamism and drive productivity growth. The medium-term Twelfth Malaysia Plan (2021–25), aiming for a “Prosperous, Inclusive, Sustainable Malaysia,” emphasizes accelerating R&D, innovation, and investment in key sectors such as electronics, global services, aerospace, etc. The APO expects that insights from the ROK can aid Malaysia in strengthening its R&D ecosystem, foster technical cooperation, and enhance competitiveness.

The IOSM, facilitated by two resource persons from the ROK, showcased the country’s science and technology innovation, R&D hub zones, technology R&D projects, support, transfer, and consulting. Delegates had the opportunity to learn about convergence technology research during site visits to institutions including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Ansan City Hall, Gyeonggi Technopark, Research Institute of Convergence Technology, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, UNITECH R&D Center, POSCO Global R&D Center, Seoul Office of the National Information Society Agency, and SK Telecom Ubiquitous Museum.