Challenges in clinical research in Malaysia.

Although the percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on research and development in Malaysia is small compared to other developed nations, there has been a significant amount of resources dedicated to this endeavor. In the Eight Malaysian Plan, almost RM360 million was allocated to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations for research purposes. The Ministry of Education allocated RM100 million into the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) in 2002, a scheme designed to boost the knowledge on basic and fundamental sciences in Malaysia. Similarly the Ministry of Health has allocated substantial amount of research grant in the Ninth Malaysian Plan through its various research divisions and centres. 2.4% of the total Ministry of Health development allocation is for Research and Development amounting to USD16.4 million .