PENANG, 30 October 2026 – The Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in collaboration with The Malaysia Society of RNA Science (MSRS), organised an international academic talk entitled “South–South Scientific Cooperation: Reshaping the Geopolitics of Knowledge and Biomedical Innovation.” The event was held in a hybrid format at INFORMM Conference Room 1 and via Webex.

The talk was delivered by Professor Odir Antonio Dellagostin of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Brazil, who is also President of the Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS).

Also in attendance were Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Aziah Ismail, Director of INFORMM; Dr. Eugene Ong Boon Beng, Deputy Director (Postgraduate and International), INFORMM; and Dr. Tang Thean Hock President of MSRS.

Professor Dellagostin highlighted the changing global landscape of scientific research, particularly the increasing contributions of Asian countries and emerging economies. He noted that China has surpassed the United States in annual scientific publication output, while Malaysia recorded a 39.8% increase in scholarly output from 2021 to 2025, according to data presented during the talk.

He emphasised strengthening South–South scientific cooperation through joint research funding, researcher mobility, shared scientific infrastructure and strategic international partnerships. The session also explored collaboration opportunities in biomedical research, vaccine development, molecular diagnostics and biotechnology. The event reaffirmed INFORMM’s and MSRS’s commitment to fostering international scientific partnerships, knowledge exchange and biomedical innovation for societal benefit.

Author: Assoc Prof Ts Dr Aziah Ismail