Crowdsourcing solutions from the Rakyat to accelerate digitalisation of government services delivery in response to the change in operating conditions post COVID-19 Pandemic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government will further accelerate the digitalisation of selective government services delivery in response to the ‘new normal’ brought about by COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, announced on 5^th June 2020 by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as part of the Short-Term Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA), is driven by the delivery of services most affected during the movement control order (MCO).

In response to the current global health crisis, PENJANA has launched several initiatives to stimulate economic activity and promote economic recovery. One important such new initiative is MYHackathon, a project with the express aim of further enhancing digitalisation of selective government services delivery effected by the pandemic.

MYHackathon is an exciting multi-agency initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and championed by a taskforce team led by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) with the support of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation And Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) and UniMAKER.  MYHackathon was conceptualised with the objective to address public safety and wellbeing challenges during face-to-face government services delivery.  Through crowdsourcing and the cross-fertilisation of ideas, MYHackathon, by being inclusive, will stimulate talent development, create opportunities and enrich lives of the Rakyat. With these objectives in mind, MYHackathon is a result of government response to the pandemic, and the economic challenges it continues to create.

According to YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of MOSTI, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to industry, commerce and the wider community.

“While we continue to fight new challenges as a nation, amidst business disruptions and remote working scenarios, it is important for all including Governments, industry and individuals to contribute to overcome the challenges and emerge stronger as a nation. This is an era where social distancing and contactless has become the new normal. This is where digital and technology can play a critical role as digital solutions and services will help to advance positively towards economic recovery and increase efficiency. It is imperative for the Government to actively encourage digitalisation to help us as a society to adapt to it. The continuous process of digitalisation in Government’s administration, businesses and our daily lives will be the future”.

Significant recent progress in the efficient provision of public services notwithstanding, MYHackathon will help accelerate early efforts made towards the digitalisation of public bodies to meet the challenges of the ‘new normal’.

Group CEO of Cradle, Rafiza Ghazali said digitalisation is critical for economic and social development. Through digitalisation, the Government can provide services to meet the changing expectations of citizens and businesses, especially in times of budgets constraints and increasingly complex challenges.

“MYHackathon aims to be one of the core catalysts of the digital revolution for the country. We want this hackathon to spur thinking and creativity, ultimately creating a positive environment that will drive further technology utilisation in areas such as education, public welfare, healthcare and logistics. The digitalisation should not be delayed because of the current situation we face; in fact, it should be intensified because of it. We need to further expedite digitalisation to further streamline and automate processes, effectively connect different parts of government and reduce the burden on people and businesses looking to access public services. Critically, we need to use technological innovation towards the delivery of impactful public services in order to further advance the country’s economic recovery”.

The MYHackathon will be organised in 2 concurrent tracks: SPRINT and MARATHON, held over as many as six rounds all over Malaysia. The SPRINT Ideation Track will be open to all Malaysian Citizens over 18 years of age registered as a group of individuals in teams of between two and five people. The MARATHON Track will also be open to all Malaysian Citizens over 18 years of age in teams of between two and five people, and eligible local start-ups. However, the MARATHON Track looks to encourage company growth or formation, through the awardance of grants.

Prizes for the SPRINT events comprise of cash (of up to RM10,000) and exciting gifts, while prizes for MARATHON events shall comprise of conditional grants of RM250,000 from Cradle to be used towards development of deployable prototype solutions.

The top three winners from each round will also meet for a final (‘Battle of the Best’) where further funding will be made available.

The MYHackathon will begin accepting applications on 12^th September 2020. For more details, please visit the website: www.myhackathon.com.my or email to: hello@myhackathon.com.my

ABOUT CRADLE FUND SDN BHD (CRADLE)

Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) is Malaysia’s leading early stage technology-based start-ups influencer. Our mission is to create an ecosystem that supports a strong and innovative business-building environment for technology entrepreneurs through our Cradle Investment Programme (CIP). Established in 2003 with a mandate to fund high-calibre tech start start-ups, Cradle has supported over 1000 Malaysian Technology-Based companies across multiple sectors and holds the highest commercialisation rate amongst funding agencies in the country.

Cradle also runs the Coach & Grow Programme (CGP), a market-driven coaching programme that trains entrepreneurs and administers the Angel Tax Incentive programme which is designed to stimulate and encourage angel investments in support of the tech startup sector.

Cradle’s programme offerings are not restricted to monetary aid, but also include commercialisation support and various other value-added services to accelerate growth.

Cradle is a government-linked company under the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI).

For more information, please visit www.cradle.com.my

ABOUT MALAYSIAN GLOBAL INNOVATION & CREATIVITY CENTRE (MaGIC)

MaGIC discovers and empowers technology startups and social innovators through creativity, innovation and technology adoption, and develops a vibrant and sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia. Since its inception in 2014, MaGIC has provided its community of start-ups, investors and ecosystem players with capacity building programmes, market & funding opportunities and regulatory assistance that impacted more than 100,000 aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs with an overall value creation of RM1.9 billion. As an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), MaGIC facilitates, navigates and enables the ecosystem with the mission of strengthening Malaysia’s position as an emerging innovation nation. For more information on MaGIC, please visit www.mymagic.my

ABOUT MALAYSIAN ADMINISTRATIVE MODERNISATION AND MANAGEMENT PLANNING UNIT (MAMPU)

Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) is one of the few central agencies in Malaysia, responsible for ‘modernising and reformising’ the public sector in the areas of administrative reforms. MAMPU is placed under the Prime Minister Department.

For more information, please visit www.mampu.gov.my

ABOUT UNIMAKER

UNIMAKER (University Makers) – is an innovation competition run by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, as a platform to nurture & cultivate Maker's Movement in Malaysia.

For more information, please visit www.unimaker.my

SOURCE: Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Caroline Jintoni
Tel: +019 – 293 9096
Email: caroline@cradle.com.my

--BERNAMA