Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, the focal agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), announced last Friday the launch of Cradle Innovation Advisory, a strategic partnership initiative to accelerate technological transformation among corporates, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.

MOSTI said in a statement that the initiative aims to address structural limitations within the national innovation ecosystem, including inadequate post-grant support, weak commercialization pathways, fragmented linkages between industry and startups, and limited SME engagement in research and development (R&D) activities.

“Innovation cannot thrive in silos. With Cradle Innovation Advisory, we enable SMEs, Malaysia’s economic backbone, to access the expertise, tools, and partnerships they need to innovate, scale, and compete globally,

“This marks a shift from support to empowerment. By activating partnerships with universities, corporates, and global startup communities, we can create fertile grounds
where great ideas are not only developed, but launched into the market, transforming entire sectors,” said Haji Mohammad Yusof Bin Apdal, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Cradle, said the firm’s initiative is not merely about introducing new frameworks, it is about creating a space
for startups to work hand‐in‐hand with key corporate players, strengthening SMEs, the very backbone of Malaysia’s economy.

“In this proof‐of‐concept phase, we will refine and optimize our approach before scaling it nationally for deeper, long‐term impact,” he added.

According to the statement, central to the initiative is the Corporate Innovation Lab Program (CILP), a structured platform offering modular workshops tailored to the developmental maturity of participating organizations.

In addition to the workshops, the initiative will provide bespoke advisory services, including innovation audits, innovation roadmap formulation, and R&D commercialization support.

Cradle will also offer access to strategic services such as legal advisory and human capital planning.

Aligned with national frameworks such as Ekonomi MADANI and the Malaysia Startup Ecosystem Roadmap (SUPER) 2021–2030, the Cradle Innovation Advisory seeks to strengthen Malaysia’s innovation capacity and advance its position as a globally competitive startup and SME ecosystem.

Cradle, NEXEA’s MYStartup Accelerator has supported over 50 startups to date