The BIG Programme (Business Innovation Grant)

BIG Programme

Helps research teams and institutions for BIG in artificial intelligence, hardware, and manufacturing.

The BIG Programme (Business Innovation Grant) is a corporate open innovation matching grant administered by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian government-backed technology startup agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). The program operates on a rolling basis, with eligible corporations submitting an expression of interest directly to big@cradle.com.my. Cradle has funded over 1,000 Malaysian tech startups since its founding in 2003, and the BIG Programme extends that mandate to large corporates co-innovating with startups and SMEs.

The award provides up to RM2,000,000 in matching grant funding to qualified Malaysian corporates. The grant operates on a strict 1:1 co-investment basis — the applying corporate must commit an equal amount of its own funds. Eligible applicants are large Malaysian corporates: Public Listed Companies (PLCs) with revenue exceeding RM500 million, Government-Linked Companies (GLCs), or Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc.) entities. The project must be structured as a 12-month corporate-led open innovation engagement. The program has two tracks: Track 1 allows the corporate to partner with a startup or SME as the primary innovation delivery vehicle; Track 2 gives the corporate strategic control over the co-development initiative. The direct grant recipient is the corporate entity — startups participate as innovation delivery partners rather than as primary grant recipients.

To initiate the application process, eligible corporates submit a formal expression of interest to big@cradle.com.my. Intake is rolling with no published fixed deadlines. The corporate must budget RM2 million of its own funds to access the full RM2 million grant match. Startups and SMEs seeking to participate in BIG Programme-funded projects should approach eligible large corporate partners directly, as the grant relationship and accountability sit with the corporate applicant.