KUALA LUMPUR, 17 August 2016 – Microsoft Malaysia (Microsoft) and CREST (Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science & Technology) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a long term engagement to drive connected healthcare innovation in Malaysia. The MoU was signed at the Malaysia Telemedicine Conference 2016 at Swan Convention Centre, Sunway Medical Centre. The collaboration entails the creation of the CREST-Microsoft Health Innovation Hub, which will be fully operational by mid-September.
The first-of-its-kind digital health hub will provide complete, end-to-end services for developers, start-ups and researchers looking to co-innovate and co-sell their solutions, all within the category of health. This starts from conceptualization to creation, and even to the commercialization of the product domestically.
The hub will focus on five core virtual health scenarios – Tele-health, smart access, remote patient monitoring, drug adherence, and corporate wellness. These scenarios will transform and raise the overall quality of care in the country, which means expanding access to healthcare, while being able to reduce unnecessary hospital and clinical visits.
For example, with the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to take health measurements, caregivers can monitor patients beyond hospitals and clinics. Cloud-based analysis of the data can identify when measurements surpass acceptable thresholds so caregivers can contact patients to take corrective action before problems become serious enough to require hospitalization.
Services provided in the CREST-Microsoft Health Innovation Hub will enable interested parties to build on such scenarios by having access to CREST’s IoT Cloud Data Centre (ICDC) Research Lab for prototype development, solution trials, and product demonstrations. They will also be provided with training on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, including IoT and Advanced Analytics and Cognitive Services while being able to obtain access to industry partners such as biomedical multinationals, hospitals and clinics, as well as venture capitalists and small and medium enterprises. In addition, there will be ongoing hackathons, medical devices bootcamps, as well as innovation events which individuals and organizations can leverage. While the hub will be physically located at CREST’s Place in Penang, its services will be accessible nationwide.
Jaffri Ibrahim, CEO, CREST, said, “Buoyed by demands and aspirations of the Electrical and Electronic (E&E) industry in healthcare, we strongly believe that digital health innovations are at the heart of addressing the healthcare challenges faced by our country today. CREST, collaborating with Telemedicine Development Group (TDG), is best placed to provide the necessary ecosystem for these innovations. We are thrilled to begin this journey with partners like Microsoft who share a similar vision.”
K Raman, Managing Director, Microsoft Malaysia echoed Jaffri’s sentiments. “We are pleased and excited to embark on this synergistic partnership. The one key differentiator in this hub is that there is no innovation center in the region today that has the ability to commercialize the technology created in hubs – even extending our investment to the sales and marketing operations of that particular technology. Microsoft is in a great position to enable this as it has the most complete platform today to enable virtual health care to empower every person and organization to achieve more.”
