Regulating Biodiversity Research and Development

Regulating Biodiversity Research and Development

Under the provisions of the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance 1997, the Sarawak Biodiversity Council is given the responsibility to regulate research and development on biological and protected resources of the State.

 The Council is also required to ensure that prior informed consent is obtained from the indigenous communities of Sarawak where traditional knowledge associated with a biological resource is accessed and an agreement that includes benefit sharing based upon mutually agreed terms is entered into.

The four (4) types of permits issued under the Sarawak Biodiversity Regulations 2016 are:

  • Permit for R&D on Biological Resources in Sarawak
  • Export Permit for R&D on Biological Resources in Sarawak
  • Permit for Propagation of Protected Resources
  • Sales Permit for Protected Resources

For R&D with potential intellectual property rights or potential gain of commercial or commercial purposes, a fair and equitable benefit sharing agreement based on mutually agreed terms must be entered into with the Council and/or the community if the R&D involves traditional knowledge associated with a biological resource as stipulated under Part III of the Sarawak Biodiversity Regulations, 2016.

For R&D where traditional knowledge associated with a biological resource is accessed, the researcher must obtain prior informed consent in accordance with the Part V of the Sarawak Biodiversity Regulations 2016.

The application process starts with the submission of completed application through the Sarawak Online Research Application System (SORAS). Administrative and technical evaluations are carried out by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre. (Research Application Flow Chart)

Once the Sarawak Biodiversity Council approve the research application, SBC will issue a Permit for R&D and other permits as required.  The applicant is required to apply for Export Permit for R&D if the nature and specialization of the R&D can only be conducted outside of Sarawak.

Potential applicants are required to complete and submit the online application. User's manual is available on SORAS.

NOTE: All researchers who intend to apply to conduct research in Sarawak are advised to download and read the following documents before proceeding to submit an online application.  For further enquiry please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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For more information, please contact us via the following details:

KM20, Jalan Borneo Heights, Semengoh, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
+6082610610
+6082611535
biosar[at]sbc.org.my

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