Demonstrator Application Grant Scheme (DAGS)

INTRODUCTION

Proposed by the NITC (National IT Council) on 15 January 1998, DAGS is a key initiative for the realisation of objectives set out in NITA (National IT Agenda). Additionally, DAGS enabled all Malaysians the opportunity to be acculturated and involved in ICT-based and related activities. The grant scheme can also be considered as a platform to build human capacity and capability through ICT applications.

DAGS was officially launched on 21 April 1998. NITC Secretariat was appointed to manage DAGS, essentially to administer and award the grants to project accredited as Demonstrator Application (DA). Initially, the scheme was granted with RM50 million under the 7 Malaysia Plan, which ended in December 2000. Under 8 Malaysia Plan (Jan 2001 – Dec 2005), the government has doubled its funding to RM100 million for the scheme.

The main objectives of DAGS are :

	To enhance quality of life through 'Digital Inclusion';
	To encourage meaningful participation in ICT-based projects; and
	To encourage the use of knowledge for value creation.

What Is Meant By Demonstrator Application (DA)

Demonstrator Applications shall have the following characteristics:

Meet the objectives and conditions of the scheme, especially the realisation of the NITA objectives.
Contribute to acculturation of Malaysians in ICT and multimedia applications.
Information and Communication Technology based projects.
Have a specific and identifiable target community.
Clear value proposition to the target community.
Focus on content and people development (not product development)
Must have 'Smart Partnership' elements in implementing the project.
Need to be culturally and socially compatible.
Have the future potential to be scaled up and prospects for early commercialisation.
Small, focused and short term projects (not exceeding 12 months) .

STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS

A DAGS project should align with any one of the following Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs):

Social Digital Inclusion (SDI)

This SPA aims to enhance community participation and to ensure the development of an inclusive community through the usage of life-changing ICT solutions.

This SPA addresses the needs of 7 (seven) priority target groups namely:

	Rural poor & natives of Sabah and Sarawak
	Urban poor
	Women
	Youth
	Disabled group
	Senior citizens
	Small & Medium Enterprises

Economic Competitiveness (EC)

This SPA seeks to encourage firms to adopt ICT as a means to innovate methodology, modification of existing processes, and new systems in order to increase and maintain the nation's competitive edge in the global market.

Priority sectors are:

	Manufacturing
	Agriculture
	Services

E-Public Services (e-PS)

The effective and efficient delivery of public services is crucial in supporting and facilitating the migration of Malaysian industry, government and community sectors into the information era.

The two objectives of this SPA are:

Support and integrate initiatives under the two SPAs, namely Economic Competitiveness and Social Digital Inclusion. The desired outcome is the creation of concrete action plans and budgets by government agencies towards business process reengineering.

Initiate an e-PS DA that can be replicated and up-scaled at national level with value added services that improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness.

FORM OF ASSISTANCE

Extent of Grant

	Up to a maximum of 70% (seventy percent) of the total project cost. However, the amount of DAGS funding approved is determined on a case-by-case basis.
	Up to a maximum of 30% (thirty percent) of the approved DAGS fund goes towards the cost of infrastructure, utilities and rental charges.

	Only the expenses incurred in developing the project will be funded by the grant. The main portion of grant is to cover the costs of content and community development activities.
	Utilisation of open-source application software is highly encouraged.
	No repayment is required

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The applicant or promoter of project must be:

	a Malaysian citizen
	a company or a locally registered organisation with at least 51% Malaysian-owned
	a government agency
	a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
	a non-profit organisation (NPO)

HOW TO APPLY

The applicant is required to submit an executive summary of the proposed project to the DAGS Secretariat. The proposed project shall align with any of the SPAs and DAGS requirements. Submission can be made via e-mail to dags@nitc.org.my Further consultations may be required to ensure that the proposal meets the requirements.

Upon consideration of the proposed project, the applicant will be given a full set of the application kit, which consists of the proposal, presentation, and financial templates.

All inquiries and correspondences pertaining to DAGS should be addressed to:

DAGS Secretariat
c/o MIMOS Berhad

Technology Park Malaysia,
57000 Kuala Lumpur.

Phone : 03-8996 5000
Fax : 03-8996 0255

Email : dags@nitc.org.my

Web site : http://www.nitc.org.my/dags

[ Home ] [ Up ]