Add to ORKGThis column had highlighted before how crucial research on genomics, using rubber as an example, is helping the country's economy to grow. By developing superior scientific and technical expertise to discover novel knowledge, related industries can move up the value chain with relative ease. As demonstrated by the newly established Centre for Chemical Biology at Universiti Sains Malaysia (www.ccbusm.com), much can be gained by pushing Malaysia as an internationally reputable, cutting-edge R&D centre. In the case of rubber, the race was with a number of countries that had the same desire to be the first because this will position the winner to be the leader in the field, with a host of intellectual property rights (IPR) and consultancy o...