DUN Sarawak: SIDC nearly 90 percent complete, official launch targeted for third quarter 2027

KUCHING, 19 Oct: The Sarawak Infectious Diseases Centre (SIDC) facility worth RM320 million has now achieved 90 percent construction progress as of August 2026 with its official launch targeted in the third quarter of 2027.

Sarawak Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the development is expected to strengthen Sarawak's capacity in infectious disease research, disease monitoring and public health interventions.

"In an effort to improve preparedness for the threat of disease, SIDC also conducted 13 exercises through the Disease Control Program (DSP) across South Sarawak region, involving more than 1,000 participants.

"The training at Pangkor Hall witnessed by the Sarawak Premier also saw the launch of SIDC's first mobile laboratory", he said.

He said this in his cabinet resignation speech at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Conference today.

In 2027, Sagah said, the programme will be expanded to eight locations in Central Sarawak including Kapit, Sebauh and Mukah to strengthen disease surveillance and implementation of public health interventions.

The SIDC's research capacity has also been strengthened through RM18.38 million funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool and BIOTEC-NSTDA from Thailand, to conduct research on African Swine Fever (ASF) prevention and control.

In addition, SIDC will receive a Proof of Concept grant amounting to RM270,000 from the UK-SEA Vax Hub to study the use of silica-based materials to stabilize viruses in vaccine applications.

The effort is expected to strengthen the international research cooperation and R&D capabilities of SIDC.

In terms of talent development, SIDC also allocated a combined funding of RM1 million for doctoral studies (PhD) in Australia, as well as obtaining RM290,000 in the form of external funding for special training in the United Kingdom.

The training includes epidemiology, genomics, genomic monitoring and vaccine research.