B. Braun, Penang Science Cluster, Continues Collaboration to Inspire Future Generations in Life Sciences

GEORGETOWN, Penang, Dec 13 (Bernama) – A leading medical technology company, B. Braun Medical Industries Sdn. Bhd. (“BMI”) reaffirmed its partnership with Penang Science Cluster (“PSC”) with the handover of the latest batch of the B. Braun Genetics Kits to PSC recently. The program, which saw an evolution from 2016 is aimed at igniting students’ interest in Life Sciences and Genetics through interactive experiments.  In the last 2 years, the kits have benefitted more than 1,800 students in 20 schools in Penang.  
 
The B. Braun Genetics Kits are divided into two core segments – the Advanced Genetics Kit, targeted at Form 6 Biology students, and the Novice Genetics Kit, targeted at lower secondary students. Based on the strong reception received for the Novice Genetics Kit, the program is further expanded from 1,000 kits in 2022 to 1,600 kits in 2024, with additional interactive experiments included in the new kits.  
 
Dr. Fu YongJi, Vice President and Head of Research & Development, B. Braun said at the handover, “Our vision to protect and improve the health of people around the world begins with inspiring the next generation to embark on a journey of lifelong learning, particularly in Life Sciences. With a presence in Penang for over 50 years, we are committed to advancing the readiness of talent to support local industries by investing in STEM and TVET.  We hope the B. Braun Genetics Kits will help foster the next generation of innovators, thinkers, and geneticist and motivate more students to pursue the fields of Medical Health & Technology.”
 
“We are immensely grateful for the long-term partnership with B. Braun for more than 10 years now. As the first MedTech company to set-up base in Penang in 1972, their dedication and commitment to growing our local talents through collaborative STEM initiatives have been consistent with PSC’s own goals of building a healthy pipeline of technical talent in Penang and Malaysia. We are excited to scale up this Genetics Kits initiative for the future of our next generation and the industry,” added Dato’ Ooi Peng Ee, Chief Executive Officer, PSC.
 
The collaboration with PSC started with a Genetics education programme specifically designed for school children, called the B. Braun Genetics Workshops in 2016 and 2017, reaching out to about 500 students, and evolved into the DNA Fingerprinting Workshop in 2019, with an ambitious target to reach 10,000 students in three years. However, when the pandemic hit in 2020, PSC and B. Braun worked together to build individual portable kits known as the B. Braun Genetics Kits for students to experience the workshop at home virtually, allowing for a bigger reach across Penang.
 
B. Braun is committed to Sharing Expertise and providing valuable learning experiences for students to explore the concept of genetics in a practical and interactive manner, whilst enhancing their understanding of the subject under the formal education syllabus.