Article Prepared by:

Ms Asha Devi Kaushal

Head of Corporate Affairs
Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

Sarawak’s Pathway to a Bio-Based Future
Sarawak is home to one of the world’s richest biodiversity treasures. For over two decades, the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) has been at the forefront of harnessing this natural wealth responsibly in Sarawak — ensuring that innovation goes hand-in-hand with conservation and benefit sharing.

Established under the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance, 1997, SBC’s legal framework was amended in 2003, 2014 and subsequently in 2025 to strengthen its role. The amended Ordinance introduces Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations — ensuring equitable partnerships with local communities — and importantly, empowers SBC to undertake commercialisation activities arising from its research and innovation.

This landmark amendment positions SBC not only as a custodian of biodiversity but also as a driver of bio-based economic growth, bridging scientific discovery with real-world applications.

From Biodiversity to Innovation

At the heart of SBC’s mission is bioprospecting — exploring rich biological resources from the Sarawak includes plants, microorganisms, and algae to discover bioactive compounds and natural ingredients with commercial potential. Many of these discoveries draw inspiration from traditional knowledge, reflecting the wisdom of local communities who have long used these resources for wellness and cultural practices.

Key initiatives include:

• • Ethnobiological Research – documenting indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• • Natural Product Library – consisting of local plant and microbial extracts, pigments, compounds, essential oils, scent tracks and algae for bioprospecting. It serves as a core discovery platform for screening of bioactive compounds by researchers through a formal agreement with clear benefit sharing obligations.

Project highlights include:

• • Biodiversity Make Scents – developing essential oils and constructed fragrances inspired by indigenous plants of Borneo.
• • Natural colours from the wild – offering natural pigment for cosmetic and food industries.
• • Medicine from Nature – bioactive compounds with anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties derived from indigenous plants used by local communities, as well as exploring aging-protective microorganisms isolated from the land of Borneo.
• • Multipurpose Microalgae innovation – developing sustainable biomass and bioactive compounds for nutraceutical, aquaculture, and bioenergy applications

These innovations demonstrate how biodiversity can drive new industries based on science, sustainability, and community collaboration.

Integrated R&D Facility and Capability
The Bioprospecting Programme is supported by 7 well-equipped and specialised laboratories and staffed with trained scientists who work in a conducive environment intended for innovative research.

The laboratories (extraction, microbiology, molecular biology, plant tissue culture, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, and product development) are designed to provide key service along the “jungle-to-lab-to-commercialisation” axis.

The extraction laboratory is equipped with technologies to produce high quality extracts from plants. Various extraction techniques are available to suit different product or research requirements — ideal for companies seeking consistent, scalable raw materials for cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. SBC can process collected samples or collaborate on custom extraction projects tailored to specific R&D needs.

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory provides end-to-end compound profiling and quality analysis using advanced instrumentation such as HPLC (analytical to preparative scale), QTOF-LCMS, and GCMS. These facilities enable rapid isolation, purification, and identification of both polar and non-polar compounds.

Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory develops and maintains true-to-type plant materials from mother trees with desirable bioactive traits. Protocols are established to support mass propagation of selected species, ensuring a reliable and quality-assured supply chain for future product development and commercialisation.

SBC maintains a unique microbial and algal collection, providing access to:

• • Over 33,000 microbial extracts (actinomycetes and fungi)
• • More than 680 living microalgae strains

These biological resources are available for collaborative R&D in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, aquaculture, and bioenergy applications. SBC’s established screening assays — antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory — help identify bioactives with commercial potential.

Through the Biodiversity Makes Scents project, SBC has profiled around 700 essential oils derived from Sarawak’s rainforest. These oils are being explored for healthcare, fragrances, and flavours applications. SBC welcomes partnerships with multinational companies and SMEs to co-develop new bio-based ingredients and sustainable consumer products.

Contact information:

Ms Asha Devi Kaushal
Head of Corporate Affairs, N13
Email: asha@sbc.org.my
Phone: +6082-610610 ext. 137