A NEW multi million-ringgit life sciences campus set up by US technology firm Agilent Technologies in Penang is set to boost the government's plan to establish Malaysia as a test and measurement hub under its Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)- Agilent Malaysia and Singapore president Gooi Soon Chai yesterday said the campus, which began operating six months ago, will help Malaysia not only leapfrog into the field of life sciences but also turn local small- and medium-sized industries (SMIs) in the sector into invention houses- Gooi did not pin a dollar value on the new investment, except to say that Agilent had bought a new building in Penang next to it its existing campus in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and had it custom-fitted for life sciences activities- "Beside hiring several hundred people, we also want to help SMIs develop new products and we are willing to share intellectual property with them," he said during a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur- He said the move to invest considerably in life sciences in Malaysia was a "leap of faith" by Agilent which began the process two years ago- The life sciences campus, which was commissioned last year, is part of Agilent's efforts to help the government revitalise the electronics and electrical sector- Malaysia has established a very strong foundation in test and measurement, via firms such as Agilent, a RM16 billion US company with 25 to 30 per cent global market share in electronics measurement- A significant percentage of that equipment is currently shipped out from Penang- Agilent Technologies Malaysia began operations in Penang in 1972 as Hewlett Packard Malaysia- Today, the company occupies a 14-5 hectare manufacturing site on the island with a workforce of nearly 3,000-...

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