They have the potential to improve human capital and innovation outcomes in Penang. The scale and expertise in health and medicine should be applied to develop strategies to increase the quantity and quality of health care provision across Penang and the Northern Corridor Economic Region. There are many opportunities to improve regional development in Penang and the Northern Corridor Economic Region, for example by providing an opportunity to: i) address the regional health challenges, ii) undertake multi-disciplinary research on the inter-connections between improving education, social and economic conditions and improving health outcomes, iii) provide community-based medicine and ambulatory care facilities and iv) provide innovations in medical education and health care delivery.