Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bangi • 2013 http://www.ukm.my/penerbit
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Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Data-Pengkatalogan-dalam-Penerbitan/ Cataloguing-in-Publication-Data
Research universities : scaffolding Malaysia's economic transformation programme Includes index ISBN 978-967-412-161-7 1. Education, Higher–Research–Economic aspects. 2. Universities and colleges–Research–Economic aspects. 3. Education and state 378.595
Content Message from the Vice-Chancellor vii Preface ix 1. Innovation Economy: Setting the Stage Malaysia’s Economic Development Plans Knowledge is Key Innovation Economy Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program ETP And Poverty Eradication Research Universities: Beyond the Call of Duty Research as Fundamental Source of Knowledge Partners in Research 2. Measuring Up to Innovation Economy Democratisation of Higher Education Universities Under Pressure to Change UKM Honouring Tradition and Innovation An Innovative University UKM Transformation Plan Research University, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth: The Connection
1 3 4 4 5 5 7 8 9 13 15 17 18 19 20 21
3. Reframing Research Management 25 Centre of Research and Instrumentation Management 27 Strengthening Research Funding 29 - Competitive and Peer Reviewed Grants 29 - Funding Structure and Policies 30 Coming to Terms with Roles of Pure and Applied Research 30 Promoting Collaborative Research 32 - Conflicting Ethos 33 Consultancy 33 - Restraining but Flexible Policies 33 Contract Research 34 Improving Research Infrastructure 35 - Research Service Laboratories 35 - Ecosystem-approach Living Laboratories 36 Research Costing 37 Assessment and Evaluation of Research 37 - Journal Impact Factor as Indicator 38 Increasing Accountability of UKM Research 41 Professional Skills of a Research Manager 41 In Research, People Matter Most 42 4. Reaching for Research Excellence Growth of Research at UKM Strategic Plan for Research Excellence Focusing on Research Competence - High Caliber Workforce - Staff Recruitment and Student Growth - Research as a Way of Life Innovation in University Research - Evolutionary and Revolutionary Innovations Prioritisation and Strengthening of Niche Areas Multi-Disciplinary Approach Humanising University Research International Benchmarking Improving Assessment of Research University Performance
45 47 48 51 51 51 52 52 53 54 59 61 61 63
5. Building Research Capacity Bridging the Knowledge Gap Research Capacity Building - Developing Appropriate Research Skills - Fostering Generic Development in Researchers - Useful Research - Building Linkages and Partnerships - Impacts and Dissemination of Research - Condusive Environment for Continuity and Sustainability - Development of Appropriate Infrastructures Postgraduate Research Training - High Quality Students - Graduate Skills Assessment for Postgraduate Applicants: A Proposal New Approaches to Postgraduate Training - Improving Relevance and Quality of Research Training - Enhancing Innovations - Multi-Disciplinary Training - Industrial Research Training
78 79 79 80 80
6. Putting Research to Work Past University Research: a Hidden Treasure? UKM as an Entrepreneurial Institution Strategies for Entrepreneurial University - Centre for Collaborative Innovation - Policies and Agreements on Ownership of Intellectual Property - Technology Licensing - Leveraging from University-Industry Partnerships - UKM-SIT Capacity Building for Innovation and Research Commercialisation
81 83 84 85 85 86 87 89 94
Bridging the “Valley Of Death” - Establishing Platforms for Entrepreneurship - Gaining Impetus from Start-Ups - On-Campus Academic Entrepreneurship (AE) Training - Understanding the Market UKM-MTDC Collaboration - Ukm-Mtdc Technology Centre - Ukm-Mtdc Symbiosis Program
67 69 70 71 72 73 74 74 75 75 76 76 78
95 95 95 97 98 98 98 98
7. Attaining World-Class Status 101 What Does it Mean to be a World-Class University? 103 Western Monopoly of Knowledge 105 A Journey that Takes Five Decades 107 What Makes a World Class University? 108 - Academic Freedom 108 - Academic Integrity and Responsibility 109 - First-Rate Academic Infrastructure 110 - Conducive Learning Environment 110 - Quality Postgraduate Education 111 - Top-Notch Teachers and Researchers 111 - Committed Leadership 112 Journey to the Top 112 - Roles of the Government 114 - Roles of the University 114 - UKM on Track to World-Class 115 - Beware of Collateral Damage 117 Appendix I: Proposed Key Performing Indicators for Research University
121
Editorial Committee
125
Message from the
VICE-CHANCELLOR Assalamualaikum wbt and Salam Sejahtera Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is committed to discovering and building knowledge from research. The challenges of our modern world lend much impetus to meet the need for application of knowledge for economic growth. As a research university, UKM face a conundrum to pursue its traditional role of creating knowledge for its own sake or for commercial application. Nonetheless, the stress of facing these challenging new expectations from research has been somewhat alleviated by the UKM Transformation Plan unveiled in October 2006. The Plan is a potent instrument for changing the mindset of the campus community to fulfill all that is expected of the university, continuing to honor its traditional roles in teaching and research in addition to stepping into the role of an engine for economic growth and societal well being. Today, the university’s passion to create new knowledge and innovation permeates all our research activities. Among its over-arching objectives is the goal to play a key role in the nation’s economic development by contributing significantly to the national innovation system. In this respect, the UKM Transformation Plan dovetails with Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program launched in September 2010 by the Prime Minister YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Indeed, research remains the mainstay for the vibrancy and profitability of our industrial growth, the well-being of all Malaysians and the sustainability of our living planet. Our future depends on our success in research and innovation. This book, Research Universities: Scaffolding Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program, cogently presents UKM’s aspiration and commitment to emerge as a beacon among the innovative and entrepreneurial universities of the world. Finally, I would like to congratulate the Editorial Committee headed by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Rahmah Mohamed, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) for making this significant effort a success. May UKM propels and moves up to greater prominence.
Prof. Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. Sharifah Hapsah binti Syed Hasan Shahabudin UKM Vice Chancellor
Preface Since the 90’s the development of Knowledge Society has had a profound impact on research and higher education. A Knowledge Society is characterized by the production, dissemination and exploitation of knowledge; which precisely the mission of research universities. By inference research universities are the main actors in building a Knowledge Society. Increasing demands have been made for reforms in postgraduate education, training programs for upgrading and retooling, life-long education and multi skills training. With that come the issues about more autonomy for the public universities as well as the issues about more accountability of the public universities. It soon becomes a paradox. While they are expected to increase their role in economic development through research and innovations, universities are also expected to play their traditional role in advancing social and cultural evolution of the society. Research universities are compelled to redefine their contemporary roles. Like other research universities, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) faces challenges and opportunities that are somewhat alien to its traditional roles. On the one hand, there is the conventional call for a university to generate, disseminate and apply knowledge for the enrichment of our ideals and culture. However today’s university is expected to not only create knowledge but also contribute in national economic growth through innovations. A university’s performance is increasingly based on its research outputs of publications, innovations, entrepreneurial activities, intellectual property and patent rights. Research Universities: Scaffolding Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme, present some of the initiatives and transformational changes UKM has made in response to these new expectations. This book focuses on UKM in its evolutionary path as a research university. Almost without exception, universities always change for the better. Many university ViceChancellors bring about changes to their universities and leave them a smidgen better than they found them. But a few among them are able to do even more. They seem to be able to reaffirm new values in those they work with. They are able to replenish the energy and commitment in them. They leave behind bigger changes that last longer. The discussion is about research universities and how it can contribute in economic growth and nation-building and about institutional transformation. Almost without exception, universities always change for the better. UKM Transformation Plan is one of the potent instruments making these changes. It also echos the Transformation Plan by highlighting some of the upshots of those changes. Through this book, we hope to influence the future changes and renewals that need to always happen in any university, young and old. Every change, big or small, helps to remind the academic community of the values they so cherish and for them to act in the ways consistent with the principles and beliefs they dearly uphold. Finally this book could not have been completed without the support and help from the Chancellory Office, faculties and institutes, Tun Seri Lanang Library, research & innovation management centre`s and UKM Press.
Malaysia’s Economic Development Plans Knowledge is Key Innovation Economy Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program ETP and Poverty Eradication Research Universities: Beyond the Call of Duty Research as Fundamental Source of Knowledge Partners in Research
1
“Knowledge begins with the senses, then becomes an intellectual conception by way of imagination.” Al-Farabi (Philosopher and Scientist)
Malaysia’s Economic Development Plans Malaysia, together with other Southeast Asian nations, experience rapid economic growth during the late 20th century and today is considered a newly industrialised country. It is ranked the third largest economy in Southeast Asia and 28th largest in the world. Its robust economy has been growing at the rate of 5–7 percent since 2007. The government plays a key role in developing Malaysia’s economy through its five-year macroeconomic plans since its independence in 1957. Fifty years ago, its economy was heavily dependent on primary products but later shifted to services and manufacturing. For a long time in its past, Malaysia was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world. In the past three decades, manufacturing and service industry played their respective roles in contributing significantly to Malaysia’s economic growth. In the service sector, Malaysia has emerged as the world’s largest hub for Islamic banking and finance. As its economy diversified and became more sophisticated, foreign and domestic direct investments poured in to further buttress and propped up Malaysia’s multi-sector economy. For some time now, Malaysia has been one of the world’s largest exporters of semiconductor components and devices, electrical goods, solar panels, and information and communication technology (ICT) products. For the first time ever at the closing of year 2010, its capital market crossed the RM2 trillion thresholds after achieving an annual compounded growth rate of 11 percent from RM717 bil in 2000. This was attributed to rapid industry expansion and strong regulatory oversight that underpinned investor confidence in the Malaysian capital market. The government’s 5-year development plan, called the Malaysian Plan, is presently on the Tenth Malaysia Plan. The primary goal of each of these plans has never deviated from the government’s economic target. During the budget annual speech, financial and human resources are lavishly allocated and largely centred around accelerating the growth of the nation’s economy. Investments are made in selective sectors of the economy together with the provision of adequate infrastructural support to aid the respective sectors. Besides the over-arching 5-yearly Malaysia Plan, the government also has another 5-yearly Industrial Master Plan; a special development plan aimed at improving the manufacturing sector and help the country to emerge as a major trading nation. Currently, the plan is in its Third Industrial Master Plan (IMP3) which covers a period from 2006 to 2020. The Prime Minister’s Department is responsible for steering Malaysia’s socio-economic development towards achieving a developed-nation status by the year 2020. This is done through carefully articulated policies and strategies for socio-economic development that target both medium- and long-term goals.
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Knowledge is Key Knowledge is key to nation-building. It is the determining factor that confers strength and long-term prosperity to nations all across the globe. Malaysia’s future too is very much dependent on her ability to rise to the challenges of what has been termed as the “knowledge economy” – one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge assume a predominant role in wealth creation. Rapid and unprecedented technological changes are occurring and experienced by both developed and developing countries. This has resulted in rapid and vast generation, dissemination and application of useful knowledge for humankind. Today, the resources for economic progress are no longer underpinned by the traditional land, labor and capital. But it is the knowledge itself which is at the heart of the value chain and major determinant of human progress. It is the embodied knowledge that provides healthy performances of economic activities and creates wealth. Many countries, including Malaysia, are today engaged in earnest pursuit of this knowledge-based economy. Knowledge now becomes the primary driver in attaining economic competitiveness and success. For Malaysia, this leaves as the only way forward in her march towards a developed nation status by 2020. Within the next few years, Malaysia must quickly demonstrate her ability to acquire, create, disperse, utilise and manage knowledge efficiently and responsibly. In 1997, the Malaysian government proposed its “Vision 2020” plan which aims at achieving the status of an industrialised and developed country by the year 2020. In the plan, the role of education is amply emphasized and strengthened through decentralization, privatization, and curriculum reforms. Attempts to reform higher-educational policies in both the public and private sectors begin in the mid-1990s when highly skilled human capital is regarded as the nucleus of a knowledge-based economy.
Innovation Economy The central position knowledge plays in a country’s economic health and living standards is now widely recognized. Arguably, the most popular buzzword since at least the 1990s has been innovation. So much so that many respected authors, editors and motivation speakers today bemoan the overuse of the word, citing the term “innovation” appearing everywhere; ranging from wall menus of burger shops, soup cans, tooth-brush packaging and annual reports of giant corporations. In Malaysia too, the usage of the words ‘innovation’, ‘innovative’ or ‘innovate’ has been most ubiquitous; not only featured by product manufacturers but also public institutions such as government ministries and universities. It wouldn’t be an understatement that such over-usage of the term has even diluted the very meaning of innovation. But as the global economy seeks to reinvent new means out of its current morass, the word is again fresh on everyone’s lips. Hence, innovation economy, innovation strategies and the foreboding-sounding innovation gap shall continue to be heard and advocated. More and more, presidents and vice-chancellors of universities are describing their domain as innovative universities or innovative ecosystem, for instance. Malaysia’s decidedly gradual but major transition from an economy based on the wealth of its natural resources and commodities to an innovation economy is most
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timely. Influenced by international and global factors, Malaysia is forced to draw its competitive advantage from the skills, creativity and innovativeness of its own people. Only the success of this transition will see the profound influence on the quality of life of all Malaysians; their job market and employment, their health and quality of life.
Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program Launched on September 21, 2010, the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) is a bold and ambitious initiative aimed at boosting Malaysia’s economic growth into a highincome nation by 2020. Its measure of success will be met when the gross national income (GNI) per capita from RM23,700 in 2009 is raised to more than RM48,000 in 2020. This would be an achievable target if GNI growth continues at 6 percent per annum. Under the ETP, the service sector is anticipated to be more vibrant and dynamic. Estimates put it that the Malaysian service sector will be able to contribute towards about two-thirds of GNI growth. This will be followed by the creation of more than 3.3 million jobs within the period. Promisingly, a major shift towards middle and high income workforce across the country will transform Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020. The execution of ETP is under the purview of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia. At its onset, the initiatives under ETP are very much private sector-driven. An unusually big portion, as much as 60 percent, of the total investments are to be derived from Malaysia’s private sector, 32% from government- linked companies and the remaining 8% from the Government. The Government will primarily play the role of facilitator. This by itself makes ETP somewhat different from Malaysia’s past economic development plan where the Government has been the major player. PEMANDU organises more than 600 meetings with ministries, agencies, multinational corporations, local corporations and non-governmental organisations to brainstorm and draw ideas that will ultimately help construct a clear roadmap for the implementation of the ETP. Essentially, the ETP consists of two parts – the vertical thrusts represented by the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) and the crosscutting six Strategic Reform Initiatives (SRIs) which are policy changes that will enable Malaysia to be competitive in the global arena. The 12 NKEAs are identified areas that will provide the focus for economic growth. These broad categories are Oil, Gas and Energy; Palm Oil and Rubber; Financial Services; Tourism; Business Services; Electrical and Electronics; Wholesale and Retail; Education; Healthcare; Communications Content and Infrastructure; Agriculture; and Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley. The six SRIs policy reforms are put into place to complement the investments under these NKEAs.
ETP and Poverty Eradication Poverty eradication remains an important agenda in many parts of the world including pockets of human settlements in high-income countries. Success in eradicating poverty is still seen as a straight-forward albeit complex measure of progress to indicate social and human development. These and other indicators are traditionally used by global
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organisations such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the OECD to measure a nation’s performance and progress. The poverty eradication problem in Malaysia remains dire. It is a single primary target of the ETP and its forerunners. While effective programs initiated by the government have brought significant improvements to many, the battle has not been won until every single Malaysian is out of the woods. Serious inequalities still exist. Winning the battle against poverty must translate into providing equitable and affordable access to relevant knowledge required for high living standards for every citizen of this country. To get us on target towards Malaysia 2020, there is a need to develop a conceptual framework that can generate not just knowledge for knowledge sake but knowledge that is relevant and applicable for wealth creation and improvement of our quality of life, befitting that of a developed nation. As early as the mid-1980s, scholars and analysts have been arguing about the variable economic performances between developed and developing nations of the world. They seek to find an explanation for the stark divergence in the economic performances of these countries. A single factor was then identified - it is the differences in their science and technology resources and capabilities. Factors contributing to make this difference are also sought and identified. Among the activities contributing to the disparity between developed and developing countries include the levels of investment in research and development (R&D), mechanisms of learning and training, knowledge-sharing, networking and cooperation (Figure 1-1 and Table 1-1). 305 247 50
196 45 40
USA
EU
ASEAN
Figure 1-1: Global Competition: R&D-Expenses 2000-2003 (In Billion US-%) Source: The World Bank Report 2007. Created by Jamil Salmi
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Table 1-1: Global Competition: R&D-Expenses 2000-2003 (In Billion US-%) Investment Rank
Country
Investment USD (billion)
% of GDP
Innovation Rank
GDP Nominal Rank
1
United States
405.3
2.70%
5
1
2
China
153.7
1.40%
46
2
3
Japan
144.1
3.30%
1
3
4
Germany
69.5
2.30%
4
4
5
South Korea
44.8
3.00%
11
15 42
26
Singapore
6.3
2.20%
16
37
Malaysia
2.6
0.63%
35
36
40
Thailand
1.46
0.25%
57
30
48
Indonesia
0.72
0.07%
74
18
The Top 4 countries with the highest GDP are the Top 4 countries with the highest investments in R&D.
Innovation drives economy
- 2011 Global R&D Funding Forecast, Battele, The Business Of Innovation - 2009 Economist Intelligent Unit Report - 1990 - 2010 World Bank
Research Universities: Beyond the Call of Duty The view of technological knowledge and innovations as being central to wealth creation is readily subscribed by top policy-makers of Malaysia and has provided the basis for the establishment of Malaysian Research Universities as prescribed in the Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programs. The objectives and goals expected from the establishment of these research universities are summarised in Figure 1-3.
Ninth Malaysia Plan Chapter 11: Enhancing Human Capital 11.66 Greater collaboration in research will be undertaken between public institutions of higher education and the local industry and research institutes as well as with reputable foreign research institutions, universities and firms. Private institutions of higher education will be encouraged to collaborate in research with public institutions of higher education. Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia will be designated as research universities. These universities will be further developed to be at par with world renowned universities. Tenth Malaysia Plan Speech by the Prime Minister in the Dewan Rakyat, 10th June 2010 “As a matter of fact, there is significant relationship between economic growth and R&D activities in higher education institutions. Hence, in order to promote and encourage R&D activities among the higher education institutions, the Government has declared UM, UKM, UPM and USM as research universities… another public university to be elevated to the status of a research university… is Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).”
Figure 1-2: Declaration of five Malaysian research universities
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Nurture & enhance the na onal percentage of research leaders in the country
Enhance the supply & quality of knowledge workers especially PhDs To raise the capacity & quality of research & entrepreneurial skills
Undergo community engagement to empower the community to enhance their quality of life
Innova ve Human Capital
Research Prominence
Quality of Life
Wealth Crea on
Enhance the number of quality publica ons
Enhance the number of IPs, research & innova on products to the market place in order to generate wealth
Figure 1-3: Objectives of Malaysian research universities
Over the past two decades, countries that have invested on knowledge business tend to reap high-valued dividends in terms of rapid and sustainable economic growth. Their bullish investments are in three key areas: increased intellectual capital with strong emphasis on people with advanced academic qualifications; robust research and development (R&D) in the industrial sector; and developed communication and information technology focusing on business and population penetration. In synch with a globalized world, the Malaysian sectors involved in knowledge production take stock of their own resources and potentialities, reengineered and make profound changes. Their appraisals lead to changes aimed and strongly committed to serve as engines of growth for the nation’s social and economic agendas. One of these changes has particularly impacted the public universities. Universities have been facing increased demands to strengthen their capacities for research and knowledge production. The demand for postgraduate education rises to an unprecedented level. The ever-changing and volatile global environment necessitates reassessment of the knowledge systems and structures of higher education in the country. There is a certain urgency to promote and reinforce useful research that can contribute to our well being and the economy.
Research as Fundamental Source of Knowledge Malaysia has long recognized that knowledge is the single key factor determining the strength and economic progress of her future. New knowledge and new ideas are important to achieve success in the innovation economy. This must come through research. Accordingly, huge and prudent investments in the generation of knowledge
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are crucial for the nation’s long term growth and competitiveness. To succeed, Malaysia’s research systems need to be robust, sophisticated and up-to-date. Its research capability needs to be overhauled and enhanced to meet the demands of the innovation economy. These include the education and training of young people, updating the skills and know-how of its research work force. Equally important is for Malaysia to focus and build its capacity to utilize new knowledge and innovate. Knowledge needs to be exploited to productive ends that are beneficial for both economic and social development. In recent decades, there has been a remarkable rise in the country’s investments in both the generation and transmission of knowledge. In universities, funds and support have been generous for the education and training of young people aimed at enhancement of skills and know-how of the nation’s research workforce. Focus on innovation has also been intensified at universities. Through high quality research, scientists at universities are wheedled and supported with huge grants and sophisticated equipment to apply knowledge to productive ends. Indeed, in recent years, there has been a surge among the academes in the exploitation of new ideas to the benefit of our health, industry and overall living standards. In today’s highly competitive global economy, innovation matters more than ever to a developing country like Malaysia. We are in a race in which we cannot afford to fall behind as it matters so much to our economy and living standards. Over the last twenty years, the volume of research in Malaysia has not only grown rapidly but also becomes more diverse. This increase is driven by two primary factors. Firstly, the Malaysian higher education sector has expanded at unprecedented rate with the number of institutions in the country increased by more than 20-folds. Secondly, the support for research has increased to support the nation’s growth through an innovation economy.
Partners in Research The Malaysian government has continued to show strong support for scientific research and technology development since the late 1980s. It has been prudently spared from the many belt-tightening exercises in the annual budget announced by the government year in and year out. Should the society has not been benefiting inordinately from such spending, why the need for special treatment? Malaysia’s policy-makers have been forcefully presenting the argument for the exceptional role that science and technology play in our economy through research and development (R&D). Consistently, innovation has been touted as not only the generation of new ideas but also to be adopted in new products, processes, services and organizational models. In their view, the goal of research spending should be to invest in and nurture the development of the innovation pipeline, from basic science to commercialisation. Hence, the linchpin of innovation policy must involve the collaboration between the government, academe and industry.
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For 2009, Malaysia’s expenditure on research and development (R&D), totaled RM7,199.9 million, representing 1.01 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP/GERD). A significant portion of this, RM5,029.5 million, goes to support research and development (R&D) of a multitude of business enterprises in the country. The Institutes of higher learning receive the next substantial allocation of RM1,442.9 million for public universities and RM268.2 million for private universities. Other government agencies and research institutes appear to share a meager RM459.3 million among them. Judging from the funding trend and huge proportion of the national research expenditure going to business enterprises, it clearly indicates that the Malaysian government is according bigger emphasis to applied research done by the industry sector than to basic research done primarily in universities. Research has long been a defining feature of universities. Its research environment however is intricately linked by numerous objectives of four different parties. The university emphasizes on research activities to further and realise its own institutional missions and visions. The university staffs engage in research to develop their academic careers alongside their teaching duties. The national government is interested in building the nation’s research capability for economic and social development through useful knowledge and innovations. The industry’s concern is the bottom line resulting from improvements of products and services contributed through research. These succinct differences in objective from four different interested parties should be taken into account in the articulation of a strategic plan for university research. These different objectives of four partners in research can be represented as in Figure 1-4.
• • • •
National economics development Socio-cultural development Human resource development National and regional reputation
Academic Staff Objectives
• Personal contribuction to knowledge • Development of experience, reputation and peer recognatation • Advancement in career path • Income from proprietary right and expert services
Goverment Objectives
PARTNERS IN RESEARCH
University Objectives
• • • •
Competitive edge through innovations Patents and intellectual property right Increase income New Increase stream
Industry Objectives
• Building reputation, esteem and world recognation • Leadership through intellectual and scholarly pursuits • Development of intellectual and resources • Generate income through innovation and services
Fig 1-4: Partners in research with different objectives
Research Universities
Government Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4.
National economic development. Socio-cultural development. Human resource development. National and regional reputation.
Industry Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4.
Competitive edge through innovations. Patents and intellectual property rights. Increase income. New income stream.
University Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4.
Building reputation, esteem and world recognition. Leadership through intellectual and scholarly pursuits. Development of intellectual and scholarly resources . Generate income through innovations and services.
Academic Staff Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4.
Personal contribution to knowledge. Development of experience, reputation and peer recognition. Advancement in career path. Income from proprietary rights and expert services.
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Democratisation of Higher Education Universities Under Pressure to Change UKM Honoring Tradition and Innovation An innovative University UKM Transformation Plan Research University, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth: The Connection
2
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust action steps.” Confucius (Chinese Philosopher)
In the last three decades, universities have actively contributed to the three forces that underpin Malaysia’s national development agendas, namely, education, research and innovation. These forces have also been instrumental in shaping the knowledge society and knowledge economy all across the world. A stocktaking of performances and trends affecting our own universities in these three areas has been in the purview of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). Some of the issues and current developments involve new roles of higher education, research priorities and support mechanisms for knowledge generation and innovation. A critical look at the current trends affecting our research universities and postgraduate education is also on MOHE’s horizon.
Democratisation of Higher Education Massification or democratisation of higher education has somewhat changed the landscape of education in universities throughout the world. This has been a predominant feature of higher education in Malaysia too in the past 30 years. Every year, more and more youths are heading to campuses worldwide in pursuit of higher education. Increasingly, higher education is seen as a passport to a better life. Student numbers worldwide are estimated to rise to some 150 million by 2025 and will continue to further increase thereafter. While this huge demand for higher education has been obvious in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it is not confined to these regions of the world. Rapid population growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America has also resulted in increased enrolment of students at the tertiary level. In the 70’s, a high proportion of Malaysia’s school-leaving students did not enjoy easy access to university education despite a universal aspiration for every schoolgoing student to get a university education (Figure 2-1). Then, to many Malaysian youths, university education remained an unattainable goal. Access to higher education was seen more as a privilege than as an individual’s right. Today, however, the scenario has drastically shifted for the better as Malaysian youths’ access to higher education has reached more than 30 percent (Figure 2-2). In response, universities see the need to review the objectives, modalities and content of their education systems to suit the present day-expectations and priorities of such an unprecedented population of students. Strategies for dealing with the reality and impact of this democratisation of higher education are urgently needed for Malaysia. The MOHE is bracing for the need to increase and diversify the number of tertiary education providers in the country. To this effect, growth in the number of
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Percentage
16
45.0%
50.0% 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0%
8.1%
-
60
95
0
7 19
-
71
19
8 19
5.0%
3.7%
1.8%
1.0%
0
19
Public Higher Education Private Higher Education
15.0%
19
81
9 -1
10
00
19
96
0 -2
0 -2
01
20
0
2 20
Year
Figure 2-1: Public access to higher education in Malaysia Source: Ministry of Higher Education
higher education providers has rocketed in Malaysia since 1996. Starting with only six universities (all public) in 1990, the number has increased to 69 presently. Among them are 20 public universities and more than 60 private institutions of higher education (Fig 2-3). A report released by the Ministry of Higher Education projects that, between 2001 and 2010, 15 percent of candidates for tertiary education would be in public institutions, while another 15 percent would be in private universities. By 2020 reasonable predictions put as many as 90% of candidates for higher education in private institutions and universities.
87.0%
89.0%
90.0% 80.0%
Percentage
70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0%
Figure 2-2: Percentage of population receiving higher education in various countries
The roles of private institutions in providing training and education in Malaysia will continue to intensify. Under diverse categories of universities, university colleges and polytechnics, together they will continue to produce a huge workforce to meet the demands of the job markets of our fast-paced economy. In 2011 alone, these universities and institutes of higher learning churned out a total of close to 190,000 graduates.
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Number of universities
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
1949
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year
Source: 9 Malaysia Plan th
Figure 2-3: Number of universities in Malaysia
Malaysia has also been providing higher education to students from many developing countries around the globe. With close to 100,000 international students from over 100 nations studying in Malaysia, the country is today ranked the world’s 11th largest exporter of educational services. Increasingly popular with students from the Middle East, China and Africa, the number of international students is expected to double by 2020. This insatiable thirst for quality higher education is posited to continue. Jumping on the bandwagon, more universities from Australia and the United Kingdom have shown keen interest to set up branches in Malaysia in 2012. Applications from 25 foreign universities have been received for setting up campuses in Malaysia. Malaysia has also been chosen as the venue for the first overseas branch campus for Xiamen University, one of the top 20 universities in China. Due for completion in 2015, the branch campus is expected to take in 10,000 students in the first stage with Malaysians comprising one-third of the enrolment, another one-third Chinese nationals and the remaining from other countries in the region. Malaysia needs to keep a close watch on the trends of this massification of higher education. Its impact, both positive as well as adverse, needs to be constantly identified and monitored. Then, strategies to deal with the reality of these varieties of impact ought to be sought in relation to provision of higher education for the country’s future workforce. A clear distinction between universities offering training and those offering research-based teaching is in order. One of the prudent steps taken by MOHE recently is to rank Malaysian universities for their research capacities and reputation. These research universities have today become an elite category to which many universities in the country aspire.
Universities Under Pressure to Change For providers of higher education, the language of crisis is aplenty and nothing new. This is also true in Malaysian universities where reforms seem numerous and problems intractable. Efforts to address problems have been underway and gathering momentum for nearly three decades, both at the school and university levels. At the tertiary level, much of the effort has been connected to meeting the opportunities and challenges of what has been termed “a new wave university” where a revisit of the institutional missions is mandatory to better serve a dynamic and modern society of the 21st century.
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In Malaysia, critics of higher education have raised alarms about the quality of curricula, their relevance to job markets, inequality of access, spiraling costs and a host of other substantive issues that affect public trust and confidence in universities. Although these issues are still part of the current crisis in higher education, in their specifics they are not the same as they have been in the past. Prior to the internet and digital era, traditional universities and colleges faced little competition from one another. They had more or less similar operating models and their roles in teaching, learning and research appeared straight-forward. Both their educational and social responsibilities were met in accordance with the general expectations of students and stakeholders. But today, for the first time, disruptive technologies are at work in higher education. Competitors operating as for-profit entities now offer online higher education. Their forte and source of their popularity include their affordability and their flexibility, offering degrees on anything, anywhere and anytime. Their products are marketable degrees made available at cheaper tuition fees. Equipped with modern technologies of the digital world, these privately-funded and profit-driven institutions of higher learning pose as disruptive competitors to government-funded universities. In some cases such private universities and their clientele-driven environments are known to pose formidable threats even to world-renowned universities like Harvard and Cambridge. Despite the obvious advantages of having deeply entrenched quality education and research capabilities, the traditional public universities are rapidly losing ground to their disruptive competitors. How can institutions of higher education constructively and creatively respond to this impending disruption? Under increasing pressure from the government, industry and other stakeholders, Malaysian public universities have been transforming to take a definitive new entity that can deal with these threats and other realities of the 21st century. This new form is driven by the desire to be contemporary, forward-looking and societally relevant. Traditionally, the two main roles of a public university are in the creation of knowledge and the dissemination of knowledge. Today, however, a third role in its application of knowledge through innovation and entrepreneurship has received greater focus. The imperative to apply the huge body of knowledge generated from R&D has significantly intensified. Today’s researchers are placed in a tight spot to create value from the knowledge they generate on campus. They are expected to transform knowledge into useful products and services that subsequently enter the market through innovation and entrepreneurship.
UKM Honouring Tradition and Innovation Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), the national university of Malaysia, is a “people’s” university. It is an enduring icon of our national identity. Its naissance was ignited from the national aspiration of honouring and upholding the Malay language, Bahasa Melayu, as a language of knowledge. UKM emerged from the heart and soul of this advocacy. It serves as an impetus for the burgeoning of scientific thinking and principles, healthy flow of ideologies and beneficial application of knowledge through the medium of Bahasa Melayu. It first opened its doors in May 1970 to 192 undergraduate students in Jalan Pantai Baru, Kuala Lumpur, a temporary campus housing three main
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faculties, the Faculties of Science, Arts and Islamic Studies. In October 1977, UKM moved to its present 1,000-hectare premises, which forms the main campus in Bangi. A source of pride and nationalism, UKM is Malaysia’s heritage that vividly epitomizes the country’s unrelenting endeavor in seeking knowledge for cultural enrichment and social development. Imbued with a strong sense of tradition and culture, UKM stands committed to the pursuit of excellence in the generation, dissemination and exploitation of knowledge for the good of humankind. The UKM community and thousands of its past and future graduates hold fast and true to the university’s motto “Inspiring Futures, Nurturing Possibilities”. In the history of higher education in Malaysia, UKM has grappled with and preoccupied itself with questions on what to teach, to whom and by whom. But today the same university is been pressured with an urgency and uncertainty never before experienced since the latter half of the nineteenth century, when undergraduate teaching universities worldwide evolved to become the precursors of today’s research universities where the core purpose of higher education shifted to not only the generation and dissemination of knowledge but also application of and utility of knowledge. After having been established and functioning as a traditional university overthe last 40 years, UKM suddenly has to react and quickly respond to these changing priorities.
An Innovative University In response to demands of the knowledge society and innovation economy, UKM has been under great pressure to change and ensure future success. After much analysis of its own DNA, UKM’s obvious response is to reinvent itself to become what is progressively referred to as an Innovative University. Felt compelled to shed some of its old-fashioned mindset, UKM sees the need to explore innovative means of performing its uniquely valuable functions, thereby saving the university from decline. Strategic choices are being sought and alternative steps taken that could possibly allow UKM to honor its traditional roles and, at the same time, transform itself into a new wave university, one that can discharge its roles effectively and responsibly. During the 1970s through the 1980s, UKM was basically a comprehensive university focusing on teaching, with a nascent research culture. In the late 80’s, the Government put in place the IRPA (Intensification of Research in Priority Areas) Program, which gives UKM as well as other public universities in Malaysia the funds and infrastructure for research. The main funding agency was then the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE), which then evolved into the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in 2004. With research funds and human capital investments, UKM successfully evolved from a mainly teaching university to a research-Intensive university. During the same period on the global scale, technology and innovation have revolutionized economic products and processes to become major determinants of economic prosperity for many nations. In Malaysia, our capacity to create and use science and technology is still in its infancy. Universities can play a pivotal role in raising the intellectual skills of our labor force and generating frontier knowledge required to
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create and innovate new products and processes. Almost as a matter of survival, UKM seeks to redesign its research mission to meet the expectations of the government, industry and other funding agencies. This seems to be welcomed by the alumni, parents of students and the public at large as well. In 2004, when MOHE emerged from under the umbrella of the former Ministry of Education, many changes were made. One of the profound changes was the launch of the Higher Education Strategic Plan. A direct outcome of this Plan is the award of Research University status to five Malaysian public universities, namely, Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). What does this portend? Profound new forces are beginning to shape the roles and relevance of these research universities.
UKM Transformation Plan Having been accorded research university status, UKM finds itself wanting for new, well-articulated policies and strategies that favor innovation-based activities. To continue with its huge and meaningful contributions in nation building and increasing competitiveness of the national economy, UKM seeks to enhance its ranking among the top universities of the world not only in teaching and learning but also in research. The top administration believes that UKM’s brightest days are ahead of them only if innovation is at the core of all its endeavors. In October 2006, UKM Vice Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Sharifah Hapsah binti Syed Hasan Shahabudin has availed herself of this opportunity to adopt a Transformation Plan aimed at ushering a smooth paradigm shift towards the university’s transformation to a world-class research university. The main goal of the Transformation Plan is to place UKM in the community of leading research universities by 2018 whilst serving its national mandate. The Transformation Plan puts into place a superbly coherent set of actions aimed at avoiding possible pitfalls and disruptions that may come along with the unfamiliar demands of an innovation economy. It prepares UKM for the challenges that may lie ahead. It aims to help change the unsettling scenarios of nation-building into positive and productive ones. The Plan itself is an innovative one in that it is an attempt to re-engineer its institutional DNA from the inside out. UKM tries to build its research prominence from existing internal strengths of home-grown technologies and resources. The Plan takes a clinical and excruciatingly detailed assessment of its own strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. From there, it proceeds to chart its progressive course forward. UKM’s history is examined and the critical strands of its DNA that require re-engineering are scrupulously identified. Bold steps are thoughtfully carved out for action to ensure survival and good health for UKM’s richly diverse ecosystems and vibrant research community. Perhaps the best feature of UKM’s Transformation Plan is that it goes beyond analysis. It offers what is possible through models that are scalable, transferable, and responsive to the needs of learning, discovery, and engagement. Two areas are duly emphasized. First, focus is placed on the prominent role of UKM in building a knowledge society for an innovation economy. Secondly, special attention is given to
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UKM’s contribution in supporting and promoting ongoing national agendas for social and cultural development. Since the adoption of its Transformation Plan and execution of some of its creatively crafted policies, UKM has effectively illustrated how Malaysia’s higher education can respond to the forces of global innovation. The Plan offers a nuanced and hopeful analysis of where a traditional university and its traditions have come from and how that university needs to change for the future. Through an examination of other success stories of innovation in higher education, the top university leadership and researchers have managed to decipher innovative, less costly ways of performing their uniquely valuable functions to support the national economy. As a premier teaching and learning institution in the country, UKM through this Transformation Plan offers new ways forward to deal with a whole array of issues. It provides a range of actions for improvement of university curricula, teaching and learning, research funding and management, faculty leadership issues, student enrolment, retention and graduation rates, campus facility usage, and a host of other urgent issues in higher education. Taken as a whole, the UKM Transformation Plan not only presents but helps to put into action a strategic model to ensure economic vitality of a traditional university. It is truly a significant contribution from a university born out of an aspiration to iconize Bahasa Melayu as a language of knowledge. Today, the UKM Transformation Plan has been well received by other universities in Malaysia as a model of how a traditional university can survive not only by honouring the traditional roles of teaching and learning but also by continuing to meet the economic expectations of a contemporary society.
Research University, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth: The Connection University research is faced with two major challenges as the 21st century sets out on its ever-demanding path into the future. Its roles, responsibilities and academic ecosystems have changed. Many contemporary issues have emerged and universities throughout the world need to respond so as to become relevant and connected with their varied stakeholders. Often considered inconsequential in the past but critical today, these issues include funding equity, industrial and societal relevance, proprietary ownership, international collaborations and networking. Our government is increasingly engaging the expertise and services of the university to encourage greater participation in realizing a number of national agendas through research. Although UKM was awarded Research University status as long ago as October 2006, no university magically becomes a “research university” upon the recognition and award of such status by the government. Closely adhering to its Transformation Plan, UKM will continue to play its role as a centre of excellence dedicated to education and training in all areas of studies deemed relevant and critical to the needs of the country and region. It aims to produce research leaders and critical thinkers in science and technology to develop and manage cutting-edge indigenous technologies. It has accorded appropriate measures to increase research and innovation. On campus, it nurtures a research culture that is vibrant, innovative and purposive.
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At the national level, UKM is also expected to contribute to economic development. Among the near-term objectives required of it as a research university is to develop and strengthen R&D capabilities and entrepreneurship. UKM is mandated to focus on discoveries and innovation relevant to the needs of the Malaysian industry, enhancing its productivity and global competitiveness. In short, it is embarking on conscious efforts to engage itself in the crucial role of scaffolding the government’s ETP through economic growth. The words R&D and economic growth have been mentioned in a single breath by our policy-makers and university researchers without their understanding fully the connections between the two. How can universities play their role in our economic growth through R&D? To fully appreciate the causal relationship between R&D and economic growth, our thinking about economics and the well-being of our society must first change. We have to shift away from our long-held notion that society can be made the way we want it to be through large-scale planning and intervention. We all are familiar with how economy is driven by growth of large businesses and favorable policies affecting them. This does not necessarily apply any longer in today’s national or global economy. It is fast becoming an out-moded concept. Today, economic growth is very much driven by competitiveness. It is competitiveness that drives the market and forces it to be more open, accessible and vibrant. And the dynamics of the market is driven by people, especially the entrepreneurs. The connections between entrepreneurship on the one hand and well-being of the society on the other is depicted in Figure 2-4.
SOCIETAL WELL-BEING ECONOMIC GROWTH COMPETITIVE POWER MARKET DYNAMICS & FORCES
ENTERPRENEURSHIP Figure 2-4: Entrepreneurship and current economic thinking
The advanced nations have been quicker to discover the pivotal roles of competition and entrepreneurship. These countries realise that economic growth cannot be accounted for just by classical reasons of strengths and surplus of capital and labour. Among the many other things that can play important roles and make the economy more productive are, obviously, technology and innovation. Recognizing this, advanced
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nations have turned to enhancing R&D because there is a strong empirical relationship between productivity and R&D at the country level. Critiques may argue that it is not R&D but innovation that stimulates productivity growth. In other words, R&D is too much of a measure of our input whereas innovation is a measure of output, which is what we are aiming at enhancing. Today, increasingly we think that the link between R&D and growth at the national level might in fact be entrepreneurship. Often, it takes a risk-taking person, an entrepreneur, to turn the results of R&D into a product and then bring it to market. With the accumulation of evidence that entrepreneurship is a significant driver of productivity growth, countries are moving away from the managed economy of the past, which hinges primarily on efficient management of capital and labour, toward increasing attention to entrepreneurship. The information communication technology revolution and fierce global competition have put many large Western business firms in trouble. They have reacted, in part, by cutting production costs and moving production to locations to developing countries with lower wages, but at the same time these Western countries embark on changing their products into new ones through R&D and innovation. Their new-to-market products are distinctly knowledge-intensive, padded with innovations resulting from R&D. Such products are higher up in the value chain and are more difficult to be copied and produced by competitors in low-cost countries like China and other parts of Asia. This is the point where the roles of universities, as institutions dealing with knowledge business, become ever so important. They must step in to play a critical role in this new environment and ensure that developing countries are able to stay ahead in the global competition. Universities in these regions therefore must change as well. They have to shift from the now outdated emphasis on training students to take part in a managed economy toward instead a focus not just on R&D and human capital in general, but more and more on entrepreneurship. Their courses in all disciplines must attempt to nurture innovative and entrepreneurial tendencies and behaviour. This should give young people an early start in building an entrepreneurial attitude. New policies have to be more about creating a favourable climate for entrepreneurship. Knowledge, of course, is an essential input to a system designed to encourage entrepreneurship, and research must be the key activity on campus. However, the university’s new focus of attention in all its research undertakings must now be seen as the commercial use of knowledge. Teaching, supporting and practicing entrepreneurship in many disciplines can be a daunting task. For a traditional university like UKM, becoming entrepreneurial is not easy and involves quite a radical change in mindset. It is a public university that has shielded itself for too long from the private sector and the markets. Its effort to inculcate entrepreneurship education in all disciplines and study programs can only succeed with the involvement of the private sector. It takes more than money; the private sector needs to share its expertise in the development of course content and in the delivery process. On top of that, efforts to support entrepreneurship must be carried out without jeopardizing academic integrity. The collaboration of academe and industry can only provide a rich environment for all parties to learn about the best ways of engaging universities to advance entrepreneurship and to vigorously participate in economic growth.
Centre of Research and Instrumentation Management Strengthening Research Funding - Competitive and Peer Reviewed Grants - Funding Structure and Policies Coming to Terms with Roles of Pure and Applied Research Promoting Collaborative Research - Conflicting Ethos Consultancy - Restraining but Flexible Policies Contract Research Improving Research Infrastructure - Research Service Laboratories - Ecosystem-approach Living Laboratories Research Costing Assessment and Evaluation of Research - Journal Impact Factor as Indicator Increasing Accountability of UKM Research Professional Skills of a Research Manager In Research, People Matter Most
3
“A manager is an assistant to his men.”
Thomas J. Watson (1874 – 1956) Chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM)
A research university will not come into existence by simply assigning such status to an institution, expecting it to deliver all the promises it makes. Neither would it be of any value to plan a research university in the manner of a patchwork quilt of ad hoc research projects reacting to specific needs of policy makers or industry. It must have a dedicated entity that oversees all activities expected from a research university and a framework for analysis of its functions. Each participating research university in Malaysia has clearly defined its areas of research strength and research priority, which must be reviewed on a regular basis. While competent researchers have a direct effect on the innovative performance of a research university, institutional support is also important. The management support from the university administration manifests itself in many dimensions, but all such support aims at facilitating and coordinating research in a fashion welcomed by all academicians.
Centre of Research and Instrumentation Management In considering university performance, the relevant unit of analysis is effectively the university team as a whole and not the actual, individual producers of knowledge. Taking the team as the focus of attention recognizes that success in research requires not only research-capable individuals but also consistent management of the research process. Success requires a continuous process of quality control and improvement to sustain long-term research productivity. Individual researchers will come and go and display bursts of brilliance, but the organizational structure of the research university offers the best mechanism for sustaining research success over long periods. Hence, highly efficient and effective research management is required to move the process from discovery to application to competitive product delivery. The research management in UKM is under the portfolio of the Deputy ViceChancellor (Research and Innovation). A Centre of Research and Instrumentation Management (CRIM) has been established to specially service the affairs of research and innovation. The management of CRIM is divided into two sections with distinct but over-lapping responsibilities, The Planning, Operation and Quality Section oversees research development, costing and funding as well as incentives for the development of a healthy research culture. The Infrastructure and Instrumentation Section is responsible for the development of research infrastructure and instrumentation. The general administrative office handles the appointments of research personnel, including graduate research assistants and postdoctoral researchers. CRIM also organises a number of research training workshops and seminars aimed at increasing participants’ grasp of areas not directly related to science and technology. Topics include short courses in writing of research proposals, preparation of business
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proposals, market surveys and other functionary skills pertaining to commercialisation of research and entrepreneurship. Retooling and familiarization of researchers with the state-of-the-art investigative procedures and instrumentation are frequently organized to upgrade research capabilities of academics and students.
Strengthening Research Funding As in the rest of the world, good research can only proceed with the availability of money. New knowledge is expensive to produce and requires consistent investment over time. The Malaysian government has long recognized the importance of new knowledge and technology for our social and economic progress. In its 5-yearly development plan, a considerable amount of funding has always been set aside for research activities at the universities and in the private sectors. These funds are categorised into varied industrial purposes and needs that are open for competitive bidding. The quantum of funding can be substantial, generous and easily available to qualified bidders. Those with great ideas for research and innovation deemed capable of having a positive impact on the alleviation of social and economic problems of society can be entitled to and obtain substantial amounts of funding and support.
Competitive and Peer-Reviewed Grants Research grants are provided to individuals, teams, research agencies and universities through open competition executed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Malaysian academics have become accustomed to depending solely on grants from MOSTI to further their research interests. There exists a variety of purpose-based grants available and the number seems to increase year after year as dictated by the areas of research deemed capable of driving the nation’s economy (Table 3-1).Primarily catering for science and technology areas, the grants are categorised by specific targets of research that the government has set out to achieve. Three MOSTI grants, given the elliptical names of TechnoFund, ScienceFund and NanoFund, have been the major source of research funding for the majority of academics in the country. TechnoFund is a grant scheme aimed at stimulating innovation of Malaysian enterprises through research. Commercialisation of research is the primary object. The use of funds under this scheme is geared towards taking innovations to market and therefore it provides support for development of technology or processes all the way to the pre-commercialization stage. Collaboration between the university and industry is particularly encouraged in the development of new or cutting edge technologies, creation of new businesses and generation of income stream for both the university and industry. ScienceFund is more tailored to the needs of the academic researchers on campus and has indeed received a wider acceptance. The grant is for carrying out research projects that can contribute to the discovery of new ideas and the advancement of knowledge in applied sciences. Although commercialisation is not an absolute requirement, ScienceFund research grant proposals that focus on high impact innovations have the competitive advantage. The areas given emphasis for support
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naturally vary depending on the most current industrial strategy for Malaysia’s economic development. Hence in an era of internet revolution, research emphasis is in the areas of computer sciences, information and communication technology, and multimedia. When biotechnology is touted as the next driver of economic growth, life sciences, biodiversity, agriculture, environment, medical and health sciences grab all the attention and a big portion of total research funding. NanoFund is a response to recent developments in nanotechnology. NanoFund was created to encourage the building of Malaysia’s capacity in nanotechnology research. Currently, NanoFund is primarily utilised to build peer co-operations in research across a range of disciplines and expertise. Being a newly emerging science, nanotechnology researchers from universities and research organizations are encouraged to collaborate. While research emphasis has been concentrated on information technology and biotechnology areas, scientific disciplines such as advanced materials, chemical sciences, physical and mathematical sciences and engineering have been somewhat sidelined. But nanotechnology has rekindled interest in these physical and material sciences once again. Unfortunately, our obsession with economic progress still manages to unfairly marginalize the disciplines of social sciences and humanities. In recent years, concern has grown both in the universities and government that the present level of research activity may not be affordable or sustainable in the medium to long term. This might lead to financial constraints and stifling of research in universities and public research institutions. The full implications have not yet been fully worked out and lessons are still being learned. Surely there is a need to review and overhaul our approach to funding research so as to sustain Malaysia’s contribution in knowledge generation through research. Table 3-1: Grant categories and source of funding
sS sS
sSourc
Grant T
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MOSTI research grant applications follow established procedures as stipulated for each fund by MOSTI. Compared to most Southeast Asian and other developing countries of the world, the funds made available by MOSTI are quite liberal and hardly encumbered by much bureaucracy. Currently funds are provided to researchers in the form of research grants inclusive of expenditures for a whole range of activities as requested in the applicants’ proposals. This often includes purchase of equipment, expendable items, chemicals, salaries of research assistants and travelling for field-trips and conferences. Expenses for activities outside research such as training for up-skilling, equipment use and international networking and collaboration are, however, excluded. Research proposals are invited for submission to MOSTI which then subjects them to peer review. Critical evaluation from panels of experts appointed by MOSTI forms the basis of decisions in this competitive process. The experts usually emphasize both the short-term and long-term potential benefits to Malaysia’s economic growth and social and cultural development. In making decisions, the peer reviewers also focus especially on two additional factors: the knowledge and collaborative elements. While the knowledge element is seen from the perspective of generation of new knowledge and innovation, applications that show potential for contributing both academic and utilitarian values have a better chance of succeeding. The collaborative element of the applications is assessed from their prospective value in forging linkages with relevant parties the industry or with outside experts in the field. The collaboration can be at the national or international level and between individuals, institutions or industry partners. Support of this nature exposes university researchers to industrial research systems and infrastructures not normally available on campus. Policies and support mechanisms for research need to seek a balance in investments for basic and applied research. Much caution is needed in doing this. Increasing investments in applied research must not be done at the expense of discovery research. Technology-rich countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Australia previously placed strong emphasis on basic or discovery research. Today, however, they are readjusting their investments in research to strike a balance between discovery and applied research. Conversely, while Japan, Taiwan and Singapore used to put strong emphasis on applied research as part of their technology catchup strategies, these countries too are desperately seeking a balance between their investments in basic and applied research. Indeed, a practical and far-sighted weighing scale needs to be put in place now to ensure that Malaysia’s discovery capabilities are not compromised because of our failure to strike this balance in ourresearch funding process.
Coming to Terms with Roles of Pure and Applied Research One of the characteristics of new knowledge is that it is not foreseen to have any useful application at the moment of its creation. When we identify something new like some characteristics of the physical, biological or cultural world previously unknown or imperfectly understood, the discovery may appear trivial or bizarre to some observers;
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it appears to have no immediate consequence. The utility of research discoveries often appears much later when others have extended the discovery into related areas of research. Further efforts are made to identify and broaden the significance of the discovery that can lead to its full understanding. Sometimes by sheer coincidence or serendipity, that new discovery can transform the original invention into products or processes that change the way we live, create substantial economic or social value, or provide a major national competitive advantage. It is this prospect of transforming new knowledge into competitive global products that motivates the international concerns about research competitiveness. Research managers are constantly faced with the predicament of having to identify research in terms of basic or applied when in fact what starts out as pure research often eventually leads to applications, thereby becoming applied research instead. They have to grapple with this contentious issue, being required to treat as distinct two kinds of research that are intimately related, growing out of each other, when trying to establish research policies for research support and funding. In efforts to encourage marketable innovations, the line that separates so-called pure and applied research is fast becoming blurred. Inevitably, the traditional distinctions between the two are breaking down, especially when knowledge required for research discoveries and innovations is increasingly becoming inter-disciplinary in nature. As applied research claims its importance in the technological applications of knowledge, there is no longer a simple one-way flow from basic to applied research. Instead, there exists a constant and intensifying interaction between the two. Pertinent questions in what is designed to be applied research often require answers that can only be generated from doing basic research. Although these trends are particularly pronounced in the science and technology areas, they are by no measure exclusive. Similar cross-activities in research can also be seen across a range of the humanities and social sciences. The value of basic scientific research continues to be a major controversy in the scientific community. Debates are raging pertaining to funding of basic research by public funds. Research managers are pressed for answers on: Who should be paying for basic research? Should the government spend less of the taxpayer’s money on basic research in order to give more funding for applied research that has clear potential economic value? The government is also asking: Should public funds be used to subsidize applied research carried out by private industrial companies? Much of the emotiveness of these questions stems from our failure to have a good grasp on the meaning and value of pure research and applied research. All scientists subscribe to the notion that a basic, fundamental understanding of all branches of science is needed in order for progress to take place. In almost every discipline of science, basic research has contributed by laying down the foundation on which applied science can flourish. Useful spin-offs and innovations often are the results of our understanding the basic science involved in the underlying processes and workings of the technology or innovation. It is often argued that if man were only to concentrate on applied research without paying much attention to basic research,
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we would still be making better spears instead of having guns and bombs as our war armaments. We would still be trying to breed stronger and faster horses instead of traveling by cars and planes. Classic examples abound to illustrate the importance of basic research. Our understanding of genetics and heredity is primarily from the basic work of Gregor Mendel on pea plants in the 1860’s. His basic research has led humankind to plant breeding and domestication of wild plant varieties into crops. James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of the double helical structure of the DNA molecule in 1953 has led to our understanding of how DNA works and gives rise to biotechnology. Many of today’s electrical devices, including radios, generators and alternators, can trace their roots to the basic research conducted by Michael Faraday in 1831 when he first discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction and the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Each of these scientists was trying to learn about the basic nature of the phenomena they were studying. Only today can we see the vast implications of their research. Indeed, pure research has played a vital role in the advancement of applicable scientific knowledge; that is undeniable by any measure. While many examples illustrate how applied research has been important in the past and had an impact on our daily lives, in many cases, the application is derived long before scientists have a good understanding of the basic sciences underlying them. Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the modern world rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The goal of the applied scientist is to improve the human condition. While some scientists feel that the time has come for a shift in emphasis away from basic research toward applied science, the distinction between basic and applied research is not always clear, so what is basic research now might well end up as applied research30 years into the future.
Promoting Collaborative Research Collaborative research involving university-industry partnerships has become increasingly sought as both parties begin to appreciate the mutual benefits that could be derived from one another’s experience and competence. In UKM, the promotion of collaborative research comes under the purview of research managers, administrators drawn from the ranks of academics. The key factor for success here is to be proactive in identifying potential partners. Essentially, CRIM acts as a ‘marriage broker’ between researchers and industry. As in any marriage proposals, the momentous event of breaking the ice to declare one’s intention can be the biggest hurdle before a lasting knot can be tied. Absolute faith and confidence in the win-win relationship must first be established. It is crucial to be gradually engaged with the potential partner in activities that are based on tangible deliverables contributed by both parties. This can be done, for instance, through outcome-based contract research or consultancy services. Once mutual trust is established, the critical factor is to ensure that the collaborative relation between the university and the industry grows and becomes sustainable. Researchers from both parties at this juncture must realize that research is no longer done by individuals but more and more must be treated as a team effort.
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Conflicting Ethos Academics are often slow to grasp the concept that in industry-university collaboration, the primary objective is the production of intellectual property that has a potential financial value. Some academics find themselves in a conflicting situation between their own desire to publish research results openly in academic journals and their collaborating industry partner’s issues of non-disclosure prior to patenting. They become disoriented with regards to the extent the economic interests of the industry should be allowed to influence the educational responsibility of the academics or the university. It is therefore important that every conceivable ethical and business issue be openly addressed, ironed out and mutually agreed on well before the collaboration commences. Some of the recurring issues include non-disclosure agreement, intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer and publication of research results. There is also concern that a conflict of interest may emerge from the participation of university researchers in profit-making ventures, as is often the case in most industry-university collaborations. In the pursuit of bottom-line together with their industrial partners, academics may tend to neglect their prime duty as teachers and knowledge discoverers. Their overemphasis on bringing their research to commercialisation can act to the detriment of quality teaching and their accessibility to students. Traditionally, academics are often looked up to as champions of the society. They are regarded as independent critics of the greed and irresponsible activities of huge corporations adversely affecting our environment and general well-being. All this altruistic reputation could quickly wane in the eyes of the public in academics’ misplaced attention to the bottom line.
Consultancy Consulting at UKM is seen as a professional activity related to the staff member’s field or discipline which entitles him/her to a fee in return for the service given. The university draws upon the depth and breadth of its multidisciplinary research base to provide answers to many of the challenges and woes faced by outside organisations. Whether in the government or in the private sector, there are times when an independent party is required to provide authoritative insights and advice to problems. As outsiders looking in, the experts from the university and their objective input can make a difference to government agencies and industries in making prudent policy decisions. These can include favourable matters related to improvement of production and manufacturing processes or adverse issues concerning our environment and quality of life. UKM experts can provide such stimuli to overcoming difficulties encountered by outside organisations while at the same time enhancing their innovative capability.
Restraining but Flexible Policies At UKM, the number of consulting days per semester is set to a ceiling. The maximum permissible for a member of the academic staff on a full-time appointment is specified and approved by respective heads of departments or faculty deans work provides them with a currency and experience in unique aspects of their own professions not covered
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in conventional text-books and references. Consultancy services can also provide a mechanism for the transfer of knowledge and technology from the university to the public good. Although consulting activities are beneficial in making academicians better scholars and teachers, they do have a downside if not properly managed. At times, research managers must take over the reins and manage consultancy activities. This is one of the responsibilities of CRIM. The consulting process has in itself the potential for diversion of academics from their primary activities and responsibilities. Therefore, there ought to be a limitation upon the time that they may spend in consulting. The limits are intended to strike a fair balance between consulting and regular teaching and research responsibilities. Consulting is permitted, provided that the staff’s full-time obligation to the university is met. The responsibility for adhering to the limit on consulting days, as well as other aspects of UKM’s consulting policy, lies first with the academics themselves. They should resolve any questions or ambiguities with their Faculty deans or Department heads, so that their responsibilities to the students and campus community are not compromised by their actions. A faculty member must seek prior consultation or follow the advice given by his or her department chairperson or dean. It is also the faculty member’s obligation to report fully the level and number of days of his/ her consulting activities. The nature of the consulting work should in no way detract from the prestige of the university or their professional stature. UKM has the right, and indeed the obligation, to safeguard itself from the erosion of the institution’s prestige and reputation due to any devious consulting practices. Consultancy services may also be confused with “moonlighting.” A university member of staff moonlights when s/he charges fees for providing services that are not directly related to his/her field or discipline. Such pursuit of financially rewarding endeavors is considered part of the university staff’s private life and does not come under UKM consulting regulation or policy. However, such endeavors may only be pursued after the full-time commitment to the university has been fulfilled.
Contract Research The functions and bottom lines of universities and industry are strikingly independent, but they could be made inter-dependent. Hence, the scope for collaboration and benefiting from one another’s participation is wide open. The university can offer the expertise of its highly qualified researchers in finding solutions to problems, whether technical or management-related, that are encountered in the industry. This way, the industry can depend on finding in their academic collaborators the most current knowledge and trends in activities such as product manufacturing, promotion and marketing, motivation and conflict management of workers. The collaboration is usually executed through contract research to the university. Generally, three areas of co-operation can be contracted out. First, the industry may be interested in some non-competitive knowledge or know-how that can keep it current
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with leaders in its core business. In this case, the industry does not usually expect to derive any crucial advantage from proprietary knowledge generated from the contract research. Secondly, contract research may aim to keep industry in touch with ideas, new techniques or processes in the forefront of the core business of the industry. Here, the industry seeks to gain competitive advantage. Therefore, the conditions stipulated in this kind of contract must be business-like, stating explicitly the income stream for the university that is mutually agreed to. Thirdly, the contract research may come in the form of strategic research and development. Here, the industry is definitely seeking a crucial advantage from any proprietary knowledge resulting from the research contract. Contract research of this nature, however, involves a complex interplay of technology, market, economic and even political factors before any conclusive edge can result. Universities usually can contribute only peripherally in such contract research.
Improving Research Infrastructure To support high quality research, CRIM seeks to ensure all projects recognized as priority research or niche areas of research have access to the infrastructure necessary for their success. Procurement or creation of additional research space on campus is done either through refurbishment of existing areas or construction of new building facilities. Existing buildings and floor areas that are underutilised or poorly equipped for research are converted into multi-purpose facilities for wider usefulness for researchers. Administrative offices that handle and coordinate matters relating to research are centralized to increase speed and efficiency of managerial tasks. All research laboratories and experimental facilities receive close scrutiny and attention in ensuring that they comply with the state and federal regulations. Legal and procedural matters concerning research ethics and biosafety of experimentation using human subjects or animals are regularized and closely monitored.
Research Service Laboratories CRIM oversees the running of laboratories on campus that house some of the most sophisticated research equipment to date. These laboratories are designed and set up to provide high quality services in the research and technical procedures deemed crucial for advancement of UKM’s prioritised or niche areas of research: Table 3-2: Dedicated research services laboratories at UKM
1
Laboratory for Molecular Structures
2
Laboratory for Cell and Tissue Therapy
3
Laboratory for Biocompatibility
4
Laboratory for Morphology
5
Laboratory for Phyto-pharmaceuticals
6
Laboratory for Physical Characterization
7
Diagnostic Laboratory
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Research results in the basic sciences rarely become applicable in innovations for product development or process improvement. But there are classic examples where knowledge from doing basic sciences is mandatory for policy makers to carry out their functions in the long term. UKM research management is in the forefront in demonstrating this truism. For instance, in the past decades, the university has gotten down to brass tacks in handling questions on environmental conservation and sustainable management. The world today is becoming increasingly impoverished as its most fundamental capital stocks – biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems – degenerate and disappear. If the trend continues, one quarter of the species on planet Earth may disappear forever by 2050. Both improved planning and management strategies are urgently required to use these resources in a sustainable manner. Success will not be in sight without the financing, technology and knowledge needed to implement these strategies. In response, UKM has intensified its emphasis on biodiversity research. Its top administrators and scientists duly recognize the long-term solutions needed to help policy-makers come up with successful management strategies for this crisis. So much of our biodiversity has yet to be inventoried, much less evaluated for potential uses. A knee jerk reaction would be that all we have to do is to go out there and document all what we have in terms of our biological resources – the plants, animals, microbes, microenvironments and energy flow – and identify the threats facing them. But UKM is going the extra mile. To gain meaningful insights into the importance of biodiversity and factors affecting them, an ecosystem-approach is crucial because there is no simple relationship between the biological diversity of an ecosystem and its ecological processes. The complexity and uniqueness of the entire ecosystem needs to be studied in situ and on a long timeline. A policy decision on resource use can only be made after careful long-term study of the policy’s impact on an ecosystem in its entirety. On this premise, UKM has established a total of five field stations throughout the country, collectively serving as UKM Living Laboratories. Individually, each field station represents a unique tropical natural ecosystem that is largely intact. At some of these research stations, both accommodations and laboratory facilities have been constructed to enable field experiments and observations be made in situ. The staff and students are actively engaged in a number of research projects at these five pristine ecological sites: Kuala Pilah - Biofuel Research Station; Tasik Chini - a freshwater lake; Fraser’s Hill - a lower-montane rainforest; Langkawi Geopark – a unique geological heritage on the island of Langkawi; and Mersing Johor – a marine ecosystem research centre. Currently, they are represented by 5 research stations (Table 3-3). A common objective here is to generate new knowledge and to apply Table 3-3: UKM research stations and field ecosystems
1
Biofuel Research Station
2
Fraser’s Hill Research Station
3
Tasik Chini Research Station
4
Langkawi Research Station
5
Marine Ecosystem Research Centre
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that new knowledge to build a more sustainable future for Malaysia’s rich biodiversity. The university’s way of putting ecosystems under the microscope can serve all of us well into the future as we devise prudent means to handle our biodiversity crisis.
Research Costing Costing of research needs to be carried out reliably and prudently so that support is available in the long term through to production of the desired research outcome. This is a formidable task in research management. Attempts to cost the funding of interdisciplinary research can be an especially challenging exercise. Costing university research is made more difficult by the complications arising from the diversity of activities and tasks performed by academics on campus. Generally, government funding is intended to develop the university’s capability to do research. While spending for development of laboratories and purchase of research requirements is sometimes allowable from a government grant, payments of salaries to academic staff and permanently employed research laboratory assistants are excluded from the funding package. Most individual members of academic staff are usually involved in both research and teaching tasks. Some are also involved in management tasks for the university. This mixture of academic activities gives rise to complicated patterns of costs so that resolving issues that arise from the combination of activities is equally complex. It is impossible to cost research and satisfy all parties involved without taking into account the costs of all the academics ‘other activities and duties on campus. In research alone, there are diverse tasks to be done. Each staff member or student involved in a research project has his or her respective role to play. The costing of research can never be holistic even after attempts to take into account all conceivable activities of the people involved. Research managers often try to reach the full economic costing of a research activity by considering three components: first, the direct costs that include payment for the time expended by academics and support staff, purchase of equipment and expendable items, specialist services for data analysis, travel expenses; secondly, the indirect costs of running such supports as the laboratories, research offices, experimental plots, animal facilities, and general computing services; and thirdly, the costs for maintenance of existing buildings and facilities for future growth of research within the departments or faculties. This cost is not directly related to making any particular project a success, but may include expenses incurred in operating the faculty’s teaching museum, herbarium, resource centre, and subscriptions to specialist magazines, newsletters and academic journals for the departmental library used by the present as well as future researchers.
Assessment and Evaluation of Research One of the most challenging problems in managing research is the analysis of the impact of research, which also comes under the purview of CRIM. Performancebased evaluation of research needs to be carried out so that decisions can be made
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on project selection and funding. Various measures and quantitative techniques have been proposed to evaluate university research. Scholarly communications in the form of journal publications, books, movies, television productions, art works and others such products of research can all be used as a measure of research performance. Publications in journals dedicated to specific disciplines are by far the commonest and most accepted measure of research performance in universities and research organisations. Book publication is another widely accepted indicator. But any attempt to distinguish between types of books and assess their contributions in different disciplines can be fraught with confusion.
Journal Impact Factor as Indicator Indicators have been developed for reliable and accurate measure of research output. One of the more quantitative approaches available and widely accepted by university researchers is bibliometrics, which is the examination and analysis of research output using publication-based data. In practice, this measure of research output is based on the number of publications or citations generated by a researcher or team of investigators. To assess, track and evaluate research activity, research managers use bibliometric data based on journal-based metrics, as has become conventional among the international scientific community. The most commonly used measure is the impact factor (IF) of a journal. The IF is a quantitative tool for evaluating the journal’s relative importance to other journals. It is a measure of the frequency with which its published papers are cited up to two years after publication. To determine the IF, research managers and researchers use the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) that are made available within Web of Knowledge, a database that allows us to search for an article and find out how many times it has been cited. JCR covers specialties in the areas of science, technology, and the social sciences and is updated annually in two editions. The Science edition of JCR covers over 8,000 journals and the Social Sciences edition surveys over 2,600 journals. The Hirsch Index or h-index is a measure of the researcher’s personal impact, also primarily based on how often his or her papers have been cited. The h-index is a relatively new but increasingly important method of assessing the impact of an individual’s publications. It is calculated based on the citation rates of an author’s published papers. Authors are increasingly using the Web of Knowledge to view the citation patterns for their own articles and to calculate their h-index. This open access to published articles can improve their visibility and thus the likelihood of their papers being cited by others in similar or related fields. Based on bibliographic assessment of research output, UKM researchers have shown impressive performance in the last three years since the emphasis on high impact journal publications has been strongly advocated by CRIM (Figure 3-1).
Research Universities Bibliometric Assessment of UKM Research (2010-2012)
a)
4500 4000 3500 3000
Indexed Journal Non-Indexed Journal Indexed Proceedings
2500 2000
Source: e-Repositori Publication UKM, April 2013
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b)
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Impact Factor
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ISI WOS Scopus ERA ERA Source: e-Repositori Penerbitan UKM, April 2013
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Indexed Proceedings (2010-2012)
c)
934
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No. of Publication
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529
367 278
268
323
ISI WOS Scopus Source: e-Repositori Penerbitan UKM, April 2013
200 0
Fig 3.1:
2010
2011
2012
Figure 3-1: Bibliometric assessment of UKM research (2010-2012)
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Figure 3-2: UKM Scival spotlight circle map 2009-2011 Source: Scival Spotlight
Figure 3-3: UKM visualisation Boston Matrix Source: Scival Spotlight, June 2012
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In term of research performance and research strategies, UKM has well positioned itself among the Malaysian research universities by receiving an increased number of research competencies (area of research excellence) in the last three years based on the Scival Spotlight. The number of indicator for EC (Emerging competency) and DC (Distinctive Competency) has increased which reflects extensive and vigorous research activities by UKM researchers (Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3). The increased number of DC showed UKM research strength based on the number of publications and citations.
Increasing Accountability of UKM Research Good management demands transparency and accountability. This same principle needs to be applied to the management of research and research training in research universities, which must be transparent in both the planning and the reporting of their performances. The institutional goals and strategies must be determined, set up and made known to the government and other funding agencies. More importantly, the measure of performances at the end of funding period must be clear and mutually agreed upon by all parties, including the university, government or funding agency, right at the outset. The key element of a management culture that can be considered transparent and accountable hinges on how we measure success of research. Pragmatic milestones and good auditing procedures must be carefully put into place to measure whether the goals set have been achieved. Research managers must ensure that all researchers and research teams operate in a fiscally responsible manner and comply with all related policies of the university.
Professional Skills of Research Managers Research management covers a wide range of roles commonly spread throughout the academics and the administrative staff within the university. The structures and organization of research management differ between universities, but all are geared to function as a special purpose entity in charge of coordinating matters pertaining to research within the university and with outside parties. To satisfactorily execute the diverse aspects of research management, a research manager needs a battery of positive personal attributes and skills. In the whole scheme of research management, it is important for a research manager and his or her administrative staff to feel on par with the researchers. Collectively, they must possess a good understanding of the research process and an appreciation of what motivates a researcher. Research managers are often appointed from the pool of able academics with strong scientific or engineering background. More often than not, they are not familiar with both the legal and accounting matters that are increasingly necessary for efficient research management. Legal skills are required for interpretation of the law when dealing with project applications and research contracts, intellectual proprietary rights and patenting matters. Accounting skills are required because many contracts include
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complicated procedures often involving large amounts of money. Indeed, a formal training in research management might be needed to also familiarise one with legal issues when negotiating for consultancy and technology transfer agreements. A research manager meets and deals with a whole range of clientele and at various levels of organizational positions and offices, from individual researchers to presidents of huge multinational corporations. One therefore requires a set of positive personal attributes as well as good administrative skills. Effective communication skill is important to inform and convince the research funders and stakeholders about ongoing research and what are the outcomes to be expected. A research manager needs good negotiating skills with research counterparts within the university and with outside funders or clientele. More importantly, s/he must be able to help build a new mindset wherein it is incumbent on university researchers themselves to shoulder the responsibility for procuring funding and ensuring the desired outcomes of research, namely, innovation and commercialisation of research.
In Research, People Matter Most Once a project starts, the research momentum must be kept going. Making sure the active researchers remain alert, creative and productive in their endeavour is important. There is no space for discontent and brooding grievances. Unnecessary impediments to effective consultation, communication and networking must be quickly removed. Research managers therefore need to function as instant soundboards to researchers and postgraduate students. Their voices must be heard because doing research is based ultimately on the active participation of individual researchers themselves. Their involvement in the decision-making process is also vital. They must feel part of the common effort. This is usually accomplished via the election of project leaders who would represent their views at research committee meetings or non-formal discussions with senior supervisors. Transparency and accountability in research direction, strategies and expenditure are crucial in building healthy relations between researchers and research managers. Ultimately a nourishing and productive research culture will arise. In research, fast decisions are needed for purchasing of specialized research equipment, expendables and out-of-the-ordinary items or gadgets. The organizational structure of a research university must be flat to enable decentralization and autonomy of decision making. Researchers often need flexible work hours that suit their research designs, the structure of experiments and the demands of methodologies. Generous allocation of free time to reflect on unexpected outcomes and to evaluate progress in the research is often required. Appropriate use of incentives and rewards further inculcate a healthy and interactive community of innovators within the research university. With utmost probability, innovations only spur through high-risk project implementations. With this comes the need for research supervisors, principal researchers and top administrators to show patience, tolerance and understanding for trial-and- error learning or outright failures.
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Hence, although the role of human capital is crucial in driving innovative performance, a combination of two distinct elements, namely, highly educated employees and organizational support, are equally important. They complement each other to positively impact on the innovative performance. These elements of human relations and interactions make up for a healthy research environment which, in the long term, would serve to increase innovative capabilities of a research university.
Growth of Research at UKM Strategic Plan for Research Excellence Focusing on Research Competence - High Caliber Workforce - Staff Recruitment and Student Growth - Research as a Way of Life Innovation in University Research - Evolutionary and Revolutionary Innovations Prioritisation and Strengthening of Niche Areas Multi-Disciplinary Approach Humanising University Research International Benchmarking Improving Assessment of Research University Performance
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“One must not be afraid of new ideas, no matter the source and we must never fear the truth, even when it pains us.” Al-Khindi (Philosopher, Physician, Mathematician, Geographer and Chemist)
In Malaysia, the level of research activity has been increasing year after year. This trend has been particularly strong in the Malaysian public universities. In financial terms, the rate of growth has been approximately 10% per year for more than 15 years.
Growth of Research at UKM Despite its long-standing reputation in research since its establishment four decades back, UKM still needs to periodically review the objectives, modalities and content of its postgraduate education and research. Quality assurance in research is a key priority. The university has started to critically revisit the structure of its research systems, which include research training, management and research, disseminations, applications, innovations and commercialisation. More importantly as a research university, it has begun to place special emphasis on augmenting research in relevant areas capable of bringing Malaysia to developed status by 2020. Among these determinative areas are life sciences, biotechnology, genomics, information technology, nanotechnology, microelectronics, telecommunications, software applications, artificial intelligence, robotics, material science, alternative energy and sustainable development. Each of these areas is currently being pursued through research at different stages of knowledge discovery. New approaches are adopted to encourage innovations and achieve prominence in areas of research deemed relevant for economic growth. In the past decades, UKM researchers have devoted special attention and effort to research problems that are of particular relevance to Malaysia as the nation strides with confidence towards achieving developed nation status by 2020. Indeed, their efforts have produced encouraging results. A highly-focused approach to research has resulted in quality research at the cutting edge of innovation in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, human and animal diseases, genomics, fuel cells, solar energy and nanotechnology. Overarching social, cultural, environmental and technological problems affecting economic growth and societal well-being are also comprehensively addressed. After a short five years as a research university, UKM has now emerged as a centre of a reputable academic and research excellence for a host of carefully selected niche areas. It achieves this through the creation and sustenance of a critical mass of competent researchers in prioritised areas of interest. This in itself is an innovative strategy. In the past, and still presently to some extent, individuals or groups of researchers in Malaysia have been known to work in isolation and to be fond of protecting their own turfs. Such conduct has significantly hampered collaboration in research. By aiming to build a critical mass to pursue a research problem of mutual interest, UKM is helping to
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foster a spirit of cooperation and open enquiry in the Malaysian research community. Researchers and postgraduate students from both the public and industrial sectors have come together to provide ideas and innovations for the good of the country. The build-up of critical mass is also made possible by working closely with other research organisations and internationally acclaimed universities. As a result of growth in spending and attainment of a critical mass of researchers, the volume of research output by UKM has also increased.
Strategic Plan for Research Excellence The rapid growth is primarily due to greater government funding to support the execution of UKM’s Strategic Plan for Research aimed at contributing to the nation’s economic development in the competitive global environment. Its research programs have been articulated to be not only over-arching and multifaceted but also to be able to chart new paths for the nation’s progress. For this, research excellence as well as research commercialisation must both be included in the equation. It is, however, vital to recognize that research excellence is the one that drives and keeps the economy growing and flowing in a sustainable fashion (Figure 4-1). Wealth creation is benefited by both the doers of and investors in research, the doers being the scientists, engineers, discoverers and innovators while the investors are the government, industry and fund providers. By constantly striving to achieve excellence in research that can contribute to social and economic development, UKM today is seen as being at the forefront and ready to lead other national universities that have yet to achieve research-university standing.
Research Excellence Wealth for Researcher Focus on Research Excellence/ Commercialisable Research Other Researchers will be motivated to Focus on Research Excellence Figure 4-1: Continuous cycle of research excellence
A true believer in the adage “You can only get out what you put in,” UKM works at providing a conducive research environment for its staff and students. It pays great attention to details that can foster intellectual discovery, dissemination and application
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of knowledge of the highest quality, which meets highly acclaimed international standards. Besides expanding scholarship, it also aims at providing leadership and resources for discovery and innovations to numerous other universities and public research organisations in the country. As part of its Strategic Plan for Research implementation, UKM seeks to improve funding and facilities that can further add to its success in recruiting and retaining high quality academics and postgraduate students. The number of excellent and highly motivated researchers and students at UKM has grown very rapidly over the last 5 years. The Strategic Plan for Research has also contributed to the substantial increase in the number of postgraduate students at research universities throughout the country, reaching a new record high since the inception of research university status in 2007 (Figure 4-2). The number of postdoctoral researchers in our research universities as well as in UKM has also increased over the same period (Figure 4-3 and Figure 4-4). An unprecedented large proportion of these postgraduate researchers are from overseas. This internationalization of our universities helps in the formation of an extensive network of collaborative ventures with both national and international universities and research organisations. Challenging as they may have been, UKM has embarked on a set of wellthought strategies to assume this prominence and leadership role in research. More important than setting goals and strategies, the university pursues and executes them with commitment and vigour. Today, it has quickly and successfully cultivated the attributes and capabilities of a leading research university anxiously anticipated by our government, industry and other research clientele.
First Graduates
142%
Total PhD Graduated
80%
3950
RU Inception
2005
2006 2007 2008
Contributes to RSE
UM UPM UKM USM Column1 2009
2010 2011
Figure 4-2: PhD Graduates in Malaysian Research Universities
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6% 270
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3%
40% 200 150
S&T Social Sciences
40%
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ICT
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50 0
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Figure 4-3: Post doctorate researchers in research university labs
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15.4%
39
40
43.5%
30 31.7%
20 10
Year
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0 2007
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Engineering Science & Technology Social Sciences ICT Medical
2011
Figure 4-4: Numbers of post doctorate research in UKM Source: CRIM
Alongside the increase in government-funded research, UKM has also fastforwarded its efforts to intensify university research carried out for industry and other outside agencies. These non-publicly funded research activities are more directly related to the development and growth of Malaysia’s innovation economy. The parallel growth of university research and the country’s economy has also resulted in increased diversity of the portfolio of UKM research.
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Focusing on Research Competence The Strategic Plan for Research dictates that UKM focuses on building research competence. It is competence, not country size, wealth or power that leads to technical progress. Success stories of small nations with technical prowess like Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and New Zealand are many to corroborate this. Common to all these small nations is the high-quality education and research at their universities through which their top-notched scientists and engineers are trained to participate in the nation’s industrial development. It is the competence of their scientists and engineers, not sheer number, that lead to the technical success of these small nations. Competence entails both the ability and quality to perform. It is measured against a universal standard which is usually acquired through experience or training. Small developing nations such as Malaysia must be able to identify competence at both institutional (faculty, school, department or program) and individual levels. Recognizing this, UKM has focused much effort in identifying and addressing the constraints and possible solutions to competence-building. Three general areas are identified as crucial to building research competence.
High Caliber Workforce In the industrial setting, highly educated workforce and good human resource management practices have been known to increase company’s ability to innovate. Similar correlation can be expected in research universities. Highly skilled researchers will result in increased innovations. Hiring the best people for a research university is the key to building institutional credibility and gaining confidence from all around. Universities in Malaysia are still subject to many constraints and unfavorable procedures for hiring of academics and internationally acclaimed researchers. It is very difficult to attract and retain good people when our salary scheme and other incentives are considered substandard internationally. This has resulted in our losing the best people to universities abroad. Fortunately being the second oldest university in the country and having the good reputation it has attained since its establishment, UKM has served as a ‘magnet’ in attracting bright young Malaysians keen in engaging in high quality frontier research in many areas of science and technology. Especially encouraging is UKM’s ability to woo Malaysian scientists and engineers who have been working abroad, reversing the ‘brain-drain’ process to that of a ‘brain-gain’.
Staff Recruitment and Student Growth In recent years, UKM has found it difficult to match staff recruitment with the increase in student growth. The classes have grown much larger and teaching loads have increased. The pool of quality graduates with research experience is too small to provide the challenging and competitive environment necessary to quickly build an entrepreneurial climate on campus.
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Staff retention remains a problem. With the establishment of new universities, both public and private institutions, the gravest contest is to recruit and retain the best academics and researchers. The building and attainment of research competence depends heavily on UKM’s seriousness in addressing issues faced by its staff currently. Job satisfaction among researchers is foremost on the list to be looked at. One of the more serious issues begging for attention is one faced by academics wanting to actively engage in research but bogged down with excessive teaching loads. Worse, they are also constantly mired by administrative tasks and meetings. They often find themselves wanting for a definite and clear guidance from peers and university leadership about their individual roles as teachers and researchers.
Research as a Way of Life To raise the level of research competence, a well-entrenched research culture needs to be developed. UKM must strive to make research as a way of life, not as an option, for its academics and students. In fact, a research culture needs to be inculcated in not only its academic staff and students but also in the university administrators and support staff. Every staff member is encouraged to be involved in doing research at a level suited for an individual’s respective role or function within the university. They need to recognize the importance of updated information and efficient procedures in everything they do. It is crucial for current knowledge to be generated through research before applying them for beneficial use in performing their diverse jobs and functions. A healthy research culture will make their day to day tasks in the laboratories, lecture rooms, offices, libraries etcetera more efficient and productive. A thriving research culture will also make teaching academics more mindful about the value of imparting new knowledge to their students. They should continuously endeavor to generate knowledge that are relevant and contemporary through their own research before they can be disseminated in the lecture rooms or applied in the industry for our benefits. For this, appropriate training programs are organized to enhance and increase awareness of staff and students research skills within the faculties, schools or research institutions. Supportive infrastructures required to the growth and development of research should be incrementally enhanced to bring the level of research capabilities at par with other research universities in the world.
Innovations in University Research The Strategic Plan for Research also resolves that innovation in research is an agenda for UKM to adopt. However, to emerge as an innovative university, a thorough understanding of the wide nature and spectrum of innovation is required. The reasons why universities in Malaysia are having so many challenges in getting academic researchers to innovate must be sought. Innovation requires thinking outside the box. It is the process of translating an idea into a product or service that appeals to the market. More often than not, this requires inputs from many people at different phases of the product or service development.
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We often hear of new knowledge or discovery born out of a single researcher in pursuit of his or her curiosity. Innovation, on the other hand, is often the outcome of many research curiosities from different individuals and research disciplines. Furthermore, innovation rarely comes from many great minds that think alike but multiple minds that think differently. Aiming for innovation, therefore, requires surrounding ourselves with people who think outside-the-box; creating value to new knowledge and discovery. It involves deliberate application of information, imagination and ideas that can derive marketable values in the form of products or services. University researchers are usually quite aware of the potential applications of their laboratory research. Good academics usually receive ample training and experience to intellectually assess and adapt new knowledge for innovations to occur. Unfortunately they are challenged and often falter at the task of making their innovations replicable at economical costs. Businesswise, academic researchers are usually not sufficiently convincing to the leaders of industry. Technologies coming straight off the laboratory benches are often seen as too risky and not robust enough.
Evolutionary and Revolutionary Innovations At this juncture, it would be important to keep reminding funders of university research and potential investors that there are two types of innovations; namely evolutionary innovations and revolutionary innovations. The former is a continuous or dynamic innovation process brought about by many incremental advances in technology and processes. The later, on the other hand, is a discontinuous innovation brought about by a radical idea, knowledge or technology. In general, university researchers belong to the evolutionary innovators. Evolutionary innovations can be highly successful and pose limited risk to funders of research. The majority of innovation activities and returns on research investments come from evolution. However, evolutionary innovation is often limited to optimizing and exploiting opportunities in existing or long-established businesses. Revolutionary innovation, on the other hand, looks into new opportunities and creates novel business potentials. Such revolutionary foresights are usually more commonly associated with visionaries and leaders of industry rather than professors and researchers in campus laboratories. There is, however, a downside to revolutionary innovation. It is risky and closely connected with high uncertainty of the future. Revolutionary innovation attempts to satisfy the needs of future customers that are non-existent yet. It can only hope and project the orientation and needs of this future customers. In other words, evolutionary innovation addresses the needs of today’s customers, whereas revolutionary innovation focuses on the needs of tomorrow’s customers. Both types of innovation play a vital role in efforts to develop and nurture a conducive ecosystem for technology development. But outside investors still look for innovation of the revolutionary kind because of the distinctly rapid and strong competitive advantages they bring. But, in reality, the evolutionary innovation is usually the one that makes the most significant advances in technology, industry and business. It is also the type
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that primarily sustains new discoveries and technologies in university research. The availability of diverse expertise and resources in a host of science and non-science disciplines, different levels of research skills from graduate students, all can effectively contribute to the incremental and continuous processes for evolutionary innovations to happen. In other words, they may not be the ones that make the real difference, but evolutionary innovations play a more direct role in sustaining the innovation ecosystem on campus. For industry and businesses, both revolutionary and evolutionary innovations are needed in order to operate sustainably and profitably on the long term.
Prioritisation and Strengthening of Niche Areas In building research excellence, UKM has been most pragmatic in its approach. Its growth must be fueled by a massive investment in research activities. As knowledge expands, new resources are needed to carry out research activities into these new areas of knowledge. The gap between the expanding knowledge base and the capacity to do high quality research in these new areas is widening fast. Already even the great worldclass universities throughout the world have begun to feel the pinch. The constraints have been in both financial and human resources. Increasingly, there is a widespread acceptance that universities of today can no longer afford research excellence in all areas of research. UKM is not about to live with the illusion that it can continue to grow and remain viable without taking cognizance of this universal constraint. Hence, the Strategic Plan for Research recommends prioritisation of research as a way forward for UKM to make the most efficient use of limited resources available. To be successful and reap maximum benefits from this exercise, prioritisation must be done on the account of both its institutional mission and competence. Where appropriate, aspirations in the national context can be carefully articulated to fit in with institutional goals and missions. The university begins to make many difficult choices about which areas of research to delve and achieve true distinction. In situations where research managers are faced with limited funds and resources, prioritisation would also help them in making decisions about which areas deserve funding and support. Despite much creativity and responsibility, the process of prioritizing research proves more problematic than initially thought. There are myriad factors that ought to be taken into consideration as outlined in the strategies towards global positioning of research by Malaysian Research Universities (Figure 4-5). Central to this strategy is the achievement of international prominence in the prioritised niche areas of research by our universities. Research managers are constantly encumbered by factors beyond their control like trying to satisfy the government and funding agencies. The most challenging task is to strike a balance between different disciplines or areas of research. They have to consider both the long and short-term opportunities and outcomes. There is also the question as to what extent the external factors should be allowed to dictate or inuence the process without compromising the university’s own priorities and goals? As one of the premier national research universities, UKM gives emphasis on research areas critical for continued growth of the nation’s economy and the citizens’ well-being. It labours on identification of research areas in which UKM already possesses
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Global Presence /Recognition/Towards Nobel Prominence towards being World Class University
Programmes in Niche Areas of Research Prominence Supra CoE
Global Linkage/
HiCoE
Revenue
knowledge transfer RU TRANSFORMATION PLAN
Publications
Human Resource
Blue Ocean Strategies:
*Research Prominence *Innovative Human Capital *Wealth Creation *Quality of Life
Grant Outputs
Figure 4-5: Strategies towards global positioning of by Malaysian research universities
critical advantages for comprehensive pursuit to quickly gain global reputation. It must also address the fundamental questions of research significance and relevance in the context of the Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program. Taking cognizance of Malaysia’s diverse natural resources and its own research competence, UKM today is positioning its research strengths and endeavors in eight strategic niche areas. This is a consolidation exercise that serves to create a critical mass of researchers in pursuit of common research goals. To further strengthen research capability, researchers that form the core of each niche areas are supported by researchers from related disciplines drawn from diverse faculties and departments. These supporting researchers form cluster groups that further add to the multidisciplinary nature of each niche area identified. The combined expertise from both niche area and cluster groups can help increase the chances of new discoveries and finding solutions to common research problems. Crucial in strengthening existing strengths of research at UKM, this exercise also helps to reduce frictions among researchers by avoiding any tendencies of marginalizing research disciplines that might not fall directly in the identified niche areas (Table 4-1).
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Prof. Ulung Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin Chairperson 1.
Challenges in Building a Nation-State Research Clusters: • Ethnic and Cultural Diversity • Globalisation and Transnational Processes • Development and Resource Management • Internationalisation of Law • Social Security and Human Well being • Malay Civilisation, Thought and Technology • Educational Transformation & National Identity • Social Development and Nation Building • Human Development and Islamic Civilisation • 31 research groups, 327 researches
Prof. Dr. Mazlin Mokhtar Chairperson 2.
Regional Sustainable Development Research Clusters: • Heritage and Conservation • Science and Governance Sustainability • Environmental Security and Disaster Management • Regional Natural Resources Development • Sustainable Campus • 17 research groups, 146 researches
Prof. Dato' Dr. Kamaruzzaman Sopian Chairperson 3.
Renewable Energy Research Clusters: • Technology of Solar Energy • Cell Fuel Technology and Hydrogen Energy • 14 research groups, 103 researches
Research Universities
Prof. Datuk Dr. A. Rahman A. Jamal Chairperson 4.
Health Technology and Medicine Research Clusters: • Cancer and Stem Cell • Mechanisms of Disease • Antioxidants and Metabolism • Regenerative Medicine • Bioactive Natural Products • Health and Burden of Diseases • Biomedical Engineering • 23 research groups, 195 researches
Prof. Dr. Sharifah Mastura Syed Abdullah Chairperson 5.
Climate Change Research Clusters: • Tropical Climate Change • Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation • Global Environmental Change • 8 research groups, 74 researches
Prof. Dato' Dr. Burhanuddin Yeop Majlis Chairperson 6.
Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Research Clusters: • MEMS and Nanoelectronic • Advanced Materials Engineering • Science of Advanced Materials • Space Science • 33 research groups, 212 researches
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Prof. Dr. Normah Mohd Noor Chairperson 7.
Biodiversity for Biotechnology Development Research Clusters: • Exploring Biodiversity • Industrial Biotechnology • Genomics and Systems Biology • 13 research groups, 87 researches
Prof. Dr. Abdul Razak Hamdan Chairperson 8.
Content-Based Informatics Research Clusters: • Language Programming and Semantic Technology • Cognitive and Human Computing • Natural and Artificial Intelligence Systems • Cybernetics and Communication • 16 research groups, 164 researches
Once the touchy process of prioritisation of research is out of the way, appropriate facilities, funding and management steps are provided to augment and improve research in these niche areas. To undertake and attain research excellence in these niche areas, UKM scientists and engineers are provided with material supports deemed mandatory for increasing research productivity. Investments in research infrastructure, including dedicated laboratories, major equipment and other physical facilities are crucial. Seed funds are awarded to competent research groups and individuals to carry out multi-disciplinary research projects that fit the objectives of the identified niche areas. Since their creation in last few years, the eight niche areas of research at UKM have subsequently matured and continue to gain strength. The deliberate striving for research excellence through identified niche areas appears to have gained international attention. Interests in these niche areas have contributed immensely in the recruitment and retention of quality researchers from overseas. In recent years, UKM has attracted quality post-graduate students from across the globe by establishing more postgraduate
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fellowship schemes. In the process, a general improvement is seen in the university’s own internal procedure for managing research grants. News and emerging issues on research and innovation are communicated to the departments, faculties, institutes and other research communities more regularly and effectively. All of these trends are a clear sign of the university’s earlier-than-expected success in raising its research capacity since becoming one of the five of Malaysia’s research universities.
Multi-Disciplinary Approach With the unprecedented rate of technological advancement occurring over the last three decades, the nature of knowledge before us is dramatically changing. In the physical sciences, the impact of computer interfaces, digital communications, robotics and nanotechnology has been phenomenal. Some fantastic discoveries are primed to change the way we live. In the biological sciences, biotechnology, genomics and neurosciences are poised to make way for many more fascinating breakthroughs that can improve our well-being and free ourselves from many debilitating diseases. These discoveries do not occur in a vacuum. Increasingly, they are no longer based on major breakthroughs in one research discipline but can be attributed to advances in many different disciplines. Almost without exception, the knowledge that finds its way into applications is usually multidisciplinary in nature. Concomitantly, the way we do research today must also be multidisciplinary. This is because innovation, more often than not, results from asking multi-pronged research questions to obtain answers coming from different perspectives seen through a multitude of inter-related disciplines. Realizing the importance of multidisciplinary knowledge, UKM seeks to promote a multidisciplinary approach in its research activities. Promotion of inter-disciplinary research is not easy. All universities begin with their faculties and study programs organized along disciplinary lines. Interdisciplinary programs are but one of the new developments happening in modern universities after realizing the multidisciplinary nature of knowledge and how important multidisciplinary efforts are in innovation. UKM tries to overcome disciplinary limitations by pooling its diverse talents and expertise to pursue common goals through the establishment of multidisciplinary research institutes. To decide on the nature of these research institutes, UKM explores and identifies contemporary research problems that require input from multiple disciplines. They must also be of relevance and directed to the needs of the government, preferably dealing with issues and opening up opportunities that could contribute in the success of the Malaysian Economic Transformation Plan. Topical issues pertaining to sustainability of the environment, global warming and climate change, alternative and renewable energy sources, and multiculturalism and ethnic relations have been among the research imperatives identified. Alleviation of many of our economic, social and environmental ills of our modern society often requires multidisciplinary knowledge and expertise. UKM’s multidisciplinary institutes that are science-based have received lucrative funding support from industries and government agencies soliciting consultancy services and specific technical solutions on these problems. The Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI),
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Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute (SEADPRI), Institute of Space Science (ANGKASA), Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS) and the Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI) have all played their respective roles in advising those who are charged with mitigating problems related to environment, natural disasters, agriculture and health. To effectively focus and chart significant discovery paths in specific thrust areas, research institutes focusing on specialized research interests have also been established. These include Fuel Cell Institute (SelFuel), Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN) and Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI). Knowledge has also become increasingly multidisciplinary in the non-science areas of research. Input from traditional disciplines like economy, history, philosophy and anthropology are often required to comprehensively understand the boons and banes of our modern society. To facilitate good research into some of the social issues we face today, UKM has established a number of non-science-based research institutes including the Institute for Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON), Institute of The Malay World and Civilization (ATMA), Institute of West Asian Studies (IKRAB) and Institute of Islam Hadhari (HADHARI). To date, a total of 16 research institutes have been established to provide conducive avenues where researchers from different disciplines can be attracted to participate and provide solutions to problems of mutual interest. Table 4-2: Multi disciplinary research institutes at UKM
1
Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA)
2
Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI)
3
Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute (SEADPRI-UKM)
4
Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN)
5
UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI)
6
Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS)
7
Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI)
8
Institute of Climate Change Studies (IKP)
9
Institute of Malay World and Civilization (ATMA)
10
Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS)
11
Institute of Space Science (ANGKASA)
12
Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON)
13
Fuel Cell Institute (SELFUEL)
14
Institute of Islam Hadhari (HADHARI)
15
Institute of West Asian Studies (IKRAB)
16
Institute of Visual Informatics
At the macro-level, each of these research institutes contributes to the creation of the UKM knowledge ecosystem resulting from the synergistic potpourri of knowledge
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clusters generated from research at the faculties and research institutes. The energy and dynamics from this ecosystem in turn drive all the research, teaching and services of UKM.
Humanising University Research In an era of rapid technological change, research needs for the social sciences are often put on the back burner. They seem to be of the least relevance and concern in the context of achieving goals set under the Government’s ETP. The disciplines of the humanities and social sciences risk being neglected to the point of total oblivion in the not too distant future. There seems to be an overwhelming appetite to feed our best brains into professional areas such as medicine, science, accounting and law. To achieve our 2020 target, the predominant notion appears to favour engineers, scientists, business and other applied sciences as major players in reshaping a production-based culture. This, however, is a path that can easily lead the nation astray. Malaysia’s strong economic performance is underpinned by a human workforce that is not only talented, creative and highly skilled but also of high integrity, cultured and civil. Instilling these attributes in our graduates will be an added bonus in our efforts to build a force that can truly contribute to the nation’s economic productivity and wealth creation. The disciplines of the humanities have been instrumental in this process and in the shaping of our national culture, society and institutions. This is particularly important for Malaysia as we continue to shift the balance from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. Cognizant of this, UKM has embarked on efforts to also provide incentives and funding to researchers in the non-science fields. As the world becomes increasingly borderless, graduates need to increase their understanding of the world not just from the perspectives of technology and economy but culture and politics as well. They must be able to think, communicate and make decisions in life and at the workplace in a global context. The earnest hope is that graduates of UKM will be equipped with an understanding of the realities of today’s world as well as a vision and capability to face challenges and opportunities of their unfolding future. This support for the humanities and social sciences comes with a view that our higher education will in the long term lead to the development of not only a civil Malaysian society but also an internationally enlightened one.
International Benchmarking Among the academics, university research has always been a global enterprise. They are strong advocates for the free flow of knowledge and ideas among fellow academics whose primary function is the generation of new knowledge through research. Central to giving credence to their research, they publish their findings in peer-reviewed international publications that become widely disseminated among their own international community of scholars. With the advent of the knowledge economy, this global enterprise has further intensified. In recent years, international partnerships between researchers from a multitude of disciplines have flourished in a variety of ways, including exchange of personnel, shared infrastructure and collaborative projects across boundaries.
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In an effort to benchmark their excellence in research, UKM has collaborated with and formed extensive networks with internationally ranked universities throughout the globe (Figures 4-6a, 4-6b). This international collaboration is particularly important for relatively young Malaysian research universities. Besides gaining access to the human expertise and technological capabilities available outside the country, local researchers can seek market opportunities for the promotion and development of their own ideas, discoveries and inventions on a global scale. While the inspiration and persistence of individuals remain the foundation RU International Collaborations (Quality of Life) stone of discovery and innovation, teamwork is today becoming more important. Meaningful
Standing on shoulders of Giants
Earth Institute UM Power Energy Dedicated UNESCO Biosphere RURAL Development Administration Regional Center Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC) Reserve Tasik Chini National Academy of Agricultural Science, Korea
RU Iconic Projects
of First UNESCOFirst Geopark in UNESCO Geopark Laboratory UM Tropical Molecular Biology, Infectious South East Asia in South East Asia Cambridge, Diseases UKResearch and (Langkawi Geopark)
(Langkawi Geopark)
Yunus Centre for Social Business
Education Center (TIDREC) Figure 4-6a: A sample of UKM international collaborations
South Korea KRIBB
UK LMB
SeoulSeoul National Univeristy National University Germany Max - Planck Institute KSA KAUST
USA MIT Stevens Inst of Tech John Hopkins
Bangladesh
YunusYunos CentreCenter
Japan Riken
USA SRI Mexico
Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX) Universidad Estados Mexico (UIEM) Univesity Ixtlahuaca (CUI)
South Africa
University of Queensland
University of Johannesburg
Australia UQ U of Melbourne
Universities
New Zealand University of Wellington
Figure 4-6b: UKM global network of collaborations
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discoveries and innovations are increasingly the result of collaborative efforts of people from across disciplinary boundaries. Extensive networks of researchers are working together, ever willing to share and complement their expert knowledge and skills. Together, they seek answers to complex research problems that are otherwise impossible to resolve in isolation. UKM has long recognized the value and importance of these linkages for the growth and maturation of their researchers endeavours.
Improving Assessment of Research University Performance Malaysian research universities need to carry out frank assessments of the underlying causes for their failure to make it to the mark among top universities worldwide. They need to be able to recognize the challenges that make progress up the ladder slow and elusive. Can more pragmatic and achievable strategies help? Perhaps, a timely call to action is on the draw card. An above-board assessment procedure needs to be put in place that can reliably indicate areas to be remedied and improved year after year as our research universities move up the world ranking order. The criteria for assessment of research universities in Malaysia are shown in Figure 4-7.
Figure 4-7: Criteria for Malaysian research universities performance using MyRA
At UKM, a conceptual framework for assessment of its own performance comprises three central components: input, processes, and output (Figure 4-8). In order to function, a research university must pay special attention to its sources of input, which include hiring of the best research personnel, adequate funding, and fiscal and physical resources. It can then act on the processes to create a product or output. But a
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research university must also remain viable. To do so it has to be continually sensitive to the major external environment that supplies the academics, students, infrastructure for teaching and research and financial resources. The environment has a profound impact on the ability of a research university to perform its functions. Among the environmental factors to be addressed include: (i) marketplace considerations pertaining to student admissions and staff recruitment; (ii) fiscal and economic considerations affecting revenue and expenditure streams for improvement and maintenance of its critical functions; and (iii) government and regulatory considerations, including issues of ministry accreditation and compliance that may affect its operations.
INPUTS
PROCESSES
OUTPUTS
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
PUBLICATIONS POLICIES PRODUCTS INTERNATIONALIZATION
TEACHING & TRAINING
GRADUATES RESEARCHERS ACADEMICS
ADEQUATE FUNDING
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) PATENTS COPYRIGHTS
FISCAL & PHYSICAL RESOURCES
CONSULTANCY & CONTRACTUAL SERVICES
CONSULTANCY TRAINING EDUCATION
INCENTIVE & POLICIES
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
RESEARCH MANAGERS & LEADERSHIP
COMPETENT RESEARCH PERSONNEL
Figure 4-8: Conceptual framework for performance-based assessment of UKM research
How to measure research output is a very contentious issue that needs careful handling by research managers. The most widely accepted measure has been the academic metrics, whereby values are placed on particular kinds of output such as journal publications, books, patents or proprietary rights. For audit purposes, the number of quality publications can be made to appear good on paper by deliberately hiring established researchers of international standing and retaining senior professors way past their retirement age. On these grounds, it is proposed that the measure of publications be reassessed to reflect quality (Chapter 3). The performance of research universities now hinges a great deal on the research productivity in terms of publications in high impact journals. An indicator known as Journal Impact Factor (IF) is widely used. However, the use of IF has been contentiously met by academics who would like to see more emphasis given to non-tangible research outcomes, including new knowledge not leading to any immediate applications or usage (Chapter 3). The voice of discontentment is often loudest from those in the non-science
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disciplines because only a limited number of humanities and social sciences journals are included in the Thomson Reuters database, which provides the basis for calculating IF. Discipline-based evaluation as practiced in bibliometrics is also claimed to stifle inter-disciplinary research activity. Research managers are still having much difficulty in trying to use metrics in combination with other evaluation methods that would be fairer and more acceptable to the non-science disciplines. Performance-based assessment of research can also be measured by more tangible research outcomes. A useful innovation or new utility arising from research is often used to indicate progress or success of a research project. In addition, the number of patents, intellectual property rights (IPR), income from contract research and consultancy services are also weighted in for performance-based evaluation of research universities. These expectations are sometimes impractical milestones that are rarely achievable on a short term. To hold those expectations of researchers working on fundamental research is simply ludicrous. The generation of new knowledge by itself, regardless of its present or future utility or application, should also be considered as a significant milestone in research. Clearly, more deliberations are necessary to make performance-based assessment of research more meaningful and fair for all researchers. Regardless, a regular and pragmatic auditing mechanism needs to be devised with the aim of ameliorating any weak points that could decelerate our universities progress towards world-class status. A proposed key performance indicator (KPI) list is appended (Appendix I) as an initial effort towards that end.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap Research Capacity Building - Developing Appropriate Research Skills - Fostering Generic Development in Researchers - Useful Research - Building Linkages and Partnerships - Impacts and Dissemination of Research - Conducive Environment for Continuity and Sustainability - Development of Appropriate Infrastructures Postgraduate Research Training - High Quality Students - Graduate Skills Assessment for Postgraduate Applicants: A Proposal New Approaches to Postgraduate Training - Improving Relevance and Quality of Research Training - Enhancing Innovations - Multi-Disciplinary Training - Industrial Research Training
5
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Confucius (Chinese Philosopher)
Universities are not alone in shouldering the responsibility of ensuring excellence in research and research training. The task is in fact shared among the Malaysian government, funding agencies and the universities. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) is primarily responsible for funding of research and research training while the universities manage the resources supported by the funds. Criteria and frameworks for funding are determined by the MOSTI, but the generation of high quality research and research training outcomes is best left to the universities.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap Researchers in developing countries, including in Malaysian universities, are constantly emulating their counterparts in advanced countries. Habitually Malaysian researchers look to the English-speaking western nations for ground-breaking ideas and innovations. The ability of western scientists to push knowledge beyond the current frontiers through research has created a knowledge gap between our researchers and those in the universities of developed nations. The existence of this gap between them has long been recognized and appreciated but does not seem to be filled despite the recent increase in our research activities. The gap, attributed to the knowledge divide, is an issue that needs to be addressed and remedied as quickly as possible. The widening of this knowledge gap, especially in pertinent areas of science and technology, will continue to place the less developed world further behind in economic and social standing. Bridging this divide should thus be the primary goal for Malaysia if we intend to compete globally. A country’s contribution as a proportion of world output of knowledge is usually seen from the scientific publications produced over a given period. Australia, for instance, accounted for some 2.7 percent of the world’s scientific publications over the period 1993-1997. This can be considered good because Australia has a relatively small population of less than 30 million and its share of world trade is about 1 per cent. Malaysia’s share of world knowledge production is hard to evaluate and laden with vagaries. Universities form our major contributors to knowledge generation. They are a particularly significant player in relation to basic research. If publications in high impact journals can be used as an indicator of knowledge generation through research, Malaysia in recent years has done remarkably well compared to her ASEAN neighbours (Figure 5-1). Admittedly, though, it is still playing a hopelessly sluggish catch-up game and lagging behind many of the industrialised nations.
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25,000
Malaysia
No. of Publication
20,000
Singapore Thailand Indonesia
15,000
Philippina Vietnam
10,000
Brunei Cambodia
5,000
Brunei Laos 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Year
Figure 5-1: Numbers of research publications of ASEAN countries
We need not only to achieve excellence in research but also to quickly discover new frontiers of knowledge relevant for our economic development. More home-grown technologies and indigenous resources need to be discovered. Research in engineering, health care, agriculture, economics and business are potentially useful in providing solutions to specific problems hampering our progress. But all this requires highly educated and skilled people, the so-called knowledge workers. Malaysia’s universities also have a major responsibility in relation to the training of new researchers for the country. At the risk of sounding heretical, our obsession with promoting research can backfire or even become counter-productive if we fail to recognize the processes involved in doing research. There are three components of research: capacity, productivity and utility. The first, research capacity, can often be developed and achieved. The second, research productivity, however, is more difficult to attain, and thirdly, research utility is the most challenging. To accord too much importance to this utilitarian aspect, the third component of research, can be counter-productive without first strengthening our own research capacity, the first component of research
Research Capacity Building Malaysia has made it clear that it sees innovation as crucial to its future economic security and prosperity. Critical to this success is the generation of knowledge through scientific and technological research. Underpinning the discovery of new knowledge, fresh insights and innovation is its research capability. Therefore, the country needs to rapidly and substantially increase the capacities of research beyond its present workforce. A vital component of the national innovation system is a critical mass of research workers to generate ideas and carry out quality research. Our universities must quickly assume this important function of research capacity building.
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Indeed, building research capacity in science and technology has been recognized as crucial in order to make prudent evidence-based decisions in our policies and practices. But what are the constituents of a strong and healthy research capacity of a country? Little has been discussed about how to measure the effectiveness of research capacity building. By definition, research capacity building is a process of individual and institutional development which leads to higher levels of skills and greater ability to perform useful research. So, generally speaking, research capacity building should result in improvements of research skills and confidence. There exist several indicators to measure such improvement including the number of publications, sophistication of research support and management, extent of linkages and partnerships, appropriate dissemination of research results, and big investments in infrastructure and creation of environments to ensure sustainability and continuity of research activities. Going by the premise of these attributes, UKM has intervened and incorporated some outstanding and notable initiatives to help build Malaysia’s research capacity on a number of fronts (Figure 5-2).
Infra
rks & Suppo two ving Org rt Un e anis its N a Gi ati r Teams on Ca d i u v a i ls Ind
struc
tures
Research Capacity Building
Continually and Sustainability
opr Appr
n
riptio
esc iate D
Close to Practice
Link
ages
and
Colla
bora
tions
Figure 5-2: Attributes for research capacity building
Developing Appropriate Research Skills
Efforts in building research capacity dictate the need to develop research skills. It is well established from ample empirical evidence that skill development increases research activity. It also enhances positive attitudes towards conducting and collaborating in research. People who have acquired competent knowledge and skills become more confident and creative in their research undertakings. Research skills can be supported and acquired through training and through mentorship and supervision. Lack of training and skills can be a damper and barrier to doing good research. In order to build confidence and consolidate learning, a researcher needs to apply and use research skills widely and creatively.
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The most important research skills training is through the postgraduate training programs offered by all UKM faculties and research institutes. CRIM also provides a battery of specialized research skills training aimed at up-skilling and familiarization of researchers with state-of-the-art instrumentations and research protocols. UKM also sees the need to match skills training and development with the trainee’s career development as a researcher. Appropriate policies and position statements are put into place to give incentive to trainees in the career progression of a good and competent researcher. Research fellowships, training courses and workshops can all help motivate and develop research skills and confidence.
Fostering Generic Development in Researchers The greatest challenge in research capacity building is to equip trainees and postgraduate students with fundamental competence and techniques to apply basic knowledge. It is in the total generic development of the individual, not the specific time-limited skills that are job-related. Researchers must be not only professionally or technically competent but also understand the broader human, social and cultural context within which their professional knowledge and activities are grounded. Trainees and students have opportunities to enroll in a variety of non-science training courses such as management skills, languages and negotiation skills, communication, marketing and information technology tools. This training in generic skills helps to broaden their knowledge horizons, inducing more awareness and sensitivity to social, moral, ethical, religious and environmental issues of today’s world. These generic attributes form the basis for a healthy and sustainable way of life, which is as important as scientific advancement to be able to contribute and help us realize Malaysia’s ETP.
9.6
1.5
2.3 0.5
0.8
1.6 5.1
0.7
20.4
Goverment
3.9
0.7
Statutory Body
27.0
54.5
Private Multinational Local Private Self Enterprise GLC
51.5
9.1 10.8
81% PhD are in education
Figure 5-3: Job opportunities in the R&D sector
Research Universities
No
Categories
3
RESEARCH OFFICER RESEARCH ASSISTANT STUDENT ASSISTANT
4
POST DOC
1 2
Grand Total
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Total
207
210
452
259
437
1,565
879
917
1636
1176
1,688
6,296
76
370
1,900
2,205
2,770
7,321
52
140
247
270
343
1,052
1,214
1,637
4,235
3,910
5,238
16,234
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16,234 Job Opportunities from RU program
Figure 5-4: Job opportunities in R&D Sector (2007-2011)
2500
Total
2000
2047
Academic Staff Supporting Staff (Research Assistant, Research Officer, Postdoctoral Research, Administrative Asistant
2108
Technical Staff Graduate Research Assistant
1794
1500
*This Is a cummulative data Data Source: Registrar Department data for Mastic R&D analysis 2010-2011
1119 1000 566
641
500
330
322
Year
0
2010 2011
2010 2011
2010 2011
2010 2011
Figure 5-5: Job opportunities In R&D Sector (UKM)
Useful Research The underlying philosophy for developing research capacity is that it should generate research that is useful. The ultimate goal of research capacity building is often stated as the generation and application of new knowledge to improve our living standards through economic growth and health of individuals and families. This cannot be achieved by working in isolation. Consultation with the government and policy-makers is crucial. University researchers must work hand in hand with the public administrators and professionals providing services to all Malaysians by asking questions that are relevant to Malaysia’s economic growth and social development. Knowledge useful for economic growth can also be provided by the country’s visionaries, technocrats and leaders of industry.
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The purposeful notion of research capacity building to generate applicable new knowledge can be seen as an incentive to develop useful skills of critical thinking. In their everyday practice, Malaysia’s research workforce must be constantly engaged in wisely deciding on life’s many options, and taking a knowledge and evidence-based approach is the most reliable way to improve our economy and general well-being. Critical thinking skills, however, cannot be easily taught or acquired through a skills training program. Experience is one of the best teachers of critical thinking. It is therefore most important for universities and industry to ensure job conditions and salaries are sufficiently attractive to retain research workers long enough for them to gain useful experience and become critical thinkers.
Building Linkages and Partnerships The notion of forging research partnerships and collaborations is also central to research capacity building. Indeed, such relationship-building and networking provide the mechanism by which research skills and useful knowledge are exchanged, developed and enhanced. Team-work and collaborative innovation are often required to address complex research problems. The linkages between the industrial world and that of the academia have been most illustrative in enhancing research use and impact. Their effectiveness in enhancing research capacity building has been cited and exemplified in many instances. These linkages may be at different levels involving university and industry, apprentice and experienced researchers, public and private sectors, different professional disciplines or between researchers and policy-makers. The collaboration may be formalized between different universities, organisations or countries. Through networking and building partnerships, the intellectual capital, being knowledge and social relationships, can be founded and built to mutually enhance the research capacity of participating parties. Furthermore, professional trust between different groups and individuals can result in useful exchanges of innovative ideas and knowledge for mutual benefit.
Impact and Dissemination of Research One of the most widely expected results of research capacity- building initiatives is the dissemination of research through academic publications. An increase in the number and quality of research publications, for example, in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations to academics and professionals of relevant disciplines, is lauded as having a positive effect on research capacity building. The publication component of research performance evaluation has been subject to a range of criticisms. Some claim that publication is ostensibly the least efficient and reliable indicator of performance-based evaluation of research. The long lists of publications are most likely to impress peer reviewers and are often associated with increased funding. This, unfortunately, has stimulated an increased volume of publication at the expense of quality, which is not in the best interests of Malaysian research. However, of late, the measurement of impact has extended beyond the traditional method of counting academic publications in journals and conference proceedings.
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Increasingly, the litmus test that ultimately determines the success of research capacity building is the number of patents and intellectual proprietary rights (IPR) generated from research carried out by researchers in the country. The impact can be further evaluated through the practicality and usefulness of knowledge, patented technology and innovations to the funding agencies and stakeholders. Besides the traditional publications in academic journals, other methods of disseminating research output such as ‘fit for purpose’ publications have also been considered. This includes publication of research protocols for adoption by other researchers in similar disciplines and interests. Research results may also be disseminated through other communications media or Internet for information and education of lay-people and policy-makers.
Condusive Environment for Continuity and Sustainability A long-term impact of research capacity building contains elements of research continuity and sustainability, ensuring continued interest and pursuit of research using the newly acquired skills and confidence of the trained research workforce. The concept of measuring continuity and sustainability impact of research capacity building, however, has been inadequately explored, partly due to the problems faced in attempting to measure capacity building over an extended time frame. To date, there is no benchmark or specific outcome against which the progress and impact of research capacity building initiatives can be meaningfully evaluated to indicate continuity and sustainability. Nothing can effectively give us meaningful insights about where we might look for measures of sustainability. One possible means is perhaps to gauge the number of recurring opportunities and successes for research funding, especially for continued application of research skills acquired by the researchers in a variety of disciplines or professions.
Development of Appropriate Infrastructures Research infrastructure includes the sophisticated equipment and novel processes required to increase new discoveries and innovations. The quality of research very much depends on the availability of state-of-the-art instrumentation and cuttingedge research procedures. Physical research facilities can include establishment of multidisciplinary dedicated research institutes where a pool of researchers can conduct collaborative research. For science and technology, expensive sophisticated equipment must be purchased and made available where appropriate. The measurement of impact of research capacity building, in this case, should also include the work load on this equipment and its utility to specialist researchers. Policies and procedures enabling easy access to and widespread usage of this expensive equipment need to be put in place to avoid having huge investments turn into white elephants. Indeed, there have been too many cases where valuable and expensive research equipment is purchased at a cost that is out of proportion to its usefulness. Development of research infrastructures is not all about purchasing of sophisticated equipment and costly physical facilities; it also entails smooth and effective management of appropriate skills and research expertise that are essential for innovation to take place.
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Postgraduate Research Training The innovation economy has dictated new and specific demands on postgraduate training by universities throughout the world. There appears to be a need for reform in a number of issues with respect to postgraduate research training. Funding government agencies, research organisations and industry have been persistently apprehensive about the lack of breadth in research training in universities. They have unanimously expressed dissatisfaction with the outcomes of postgraduate training and have demanded improvements for the sake of national competitiveness and progress. The list of complaints include lack of supervision by professors, inadequate departmental support, scarcity of funding, insufficient preparation for laboratory work, limited access to state-of-the-art equipment and overall poor research facilities and a non-conducive research environment. While these sources of dissatisfaction are usually expressed without supporting evidence and may be, at their best, strongly anecdotal, UKM has taken these concerns seriously and has taken steps to improve UKM’s postgraduate research training. UKM views research training as one of the areas most urgently in need of improvement. A substantial portion of research funds is allocated for support of postgraduate teaching at the faculties and research institutes through, for example, salaries for research assistants or meeting expenses for carrying out projects for their Masters and Doctoral thesis. The postgraduate research students of today constitute the future generations of researchers. Collectively, they form both the core and assembling blocks in our aspiration to build up a strong research base for Malaysia. They are also a fresh pool of expertise and competencies very much needed for the constant renewal and revitalization of our existing research community. More importantly, UKM’s focus on postgraduate training keeps alive the research issues and problems undertaken by their present departments, faculties or institutes. New knowledge generated from the research work of graduating students will be passed on to subsequent batches of students, producing incremental advances in research procedures and technologies. In this way, long-term interest in maintained in the research question, resulting in the accumulation of knowledge from different perspectives that is often seen as a prerequisite for innovation. Graduate research students are also important in the transfer of skills and knowledge from the universities to industry and other research organisations. After graduation, UKM postgraduate researchers have been employed by government research institutes including MARDI, RRI, PORLA, MINT and also in such private sector organisations as Motorola and PROTON to form a substantial segment of the nation’s research workforce.
High Quality Students We can only hope to do good research if the quality of graduate student researchers does not meet the required level of competence and dedication. Ideally, their commitment to pursuit of discovery must be absolute. However, graduate students today are very diverse and their individual commitments are equally disparate. Students decide to
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pursue postgraduate programs with different goals and academic aspirations. They are not only from diverse family and ethnic backgrounds; they also have different educational qualifications and socio-cultural attitudes. Quality research requires that they be equipped not only with solid educational credentials but also with a strong commitment to research enquiry. The numbers of research graduate students at Malaysian research universities and UKM have increased significantly since the assignment of research status in 2010 (Figure 5-6) and (Figure 5-7).
16000 14000
PreRU
12000
No. of Students
14655
PostRU
12574
10725
10000
8995
8000
6608
6000 4000
5x increase
3651
3259
4149
4x increase
4990
1609
2000 0
2007
2005
2008
2009
2010
Year
Local Foreign
Figure 5-6: Postgraduate research students Malaysian research universities
12000
9942
9547
10000
Number of Students
8066 8000 6000
4419 3585
4000
(46%)
4869 (49%)
(45%)
2000 0 2010
2011
2012
Figure 5-7: Postgraduate research student at UKM
Total By Research
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Undoubtedly, the ability of UKM to attract postgraduate students has been impressive. To ensure quality of research outcomes from these students, however, more needs to be done. Applying students need to be reliably verified about their academic claims before acceptance into the postgraduate programs. To date, while each research university in Malaysia has its own process for assessment of potential postgraduate students, applicants are not required to sit for a standardized test or examination akin to the American Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Australian Graduate Skills Assessment (GSA). The increasing numbers of aspiring students from diverse educational backgrounds makes selecting promising students who could potentially become quality researchers that much more difficult. Based on these inherent difficulties, perhaps Malaysia too needs to develop instruments to test and assess applicants for graduate school admission. Such a standardized test or examination would at least give Malaysian research universities some indication of the academic potential and levels of generic skills of the applicants before commencement of a postgraduate program. The purpose of the proposed test is to measure the candidate’s aptitude in verbal and quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking skills. These kinds of knowledge and skills are not specific to any particular field of undergraduate study. The assessment can be offered as a computer-based test administered by selected qualified testing centres as done with the American GRE. Test results would provide that crucial additional (and to a good extent predictive) piece of information about the applicant’s performance as a researcher. By having a standardized assessment for eligibility to postgraduate studies, all research universities are guaranteed of uniformly qualified students who have successfully competed for their places in postgraduate programs. This would definitely benefit all parties: students, industry and the universities.
New Approaches to Postgraduate Training Malaysian research universities have a responsibility to provide the nation with education and training that enhances the supply and research capability of knowledge workers. They are committed to ensure that the requirement for Malaysia’s next generation of researchers is met not only in their quantity but also in their quality. The quality and relevance of the postgraduate training must not only meet the needs of the students but also satisfy the market demands of the country. Research training environments have changed significantly over the past decade. The emergence of new research fields, the diversity and multidisciplinary nature of research areas, the availability of new technologies and the huge increase in postgraduate enrolment are some of the new challenges. To achieve excellent outcomes, research universities need to adopt a structured and highly focused approach to research training. They should address issues that are of particular relevance to Malaysia. Overarching social, cultural, environmental
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and technological problems affecting economic growth and societal well-being must be comprehensively dealt with.
Improving the Relevance and Quality of Research Training The feedback from academic employers, universities and colleges, is generally positive about the level of research skills and competencies of research graduates from local universities. The research programs are articulated by respective faculties and institutes to provide the graduates with knowledge that is comprehensive and contemporary. The levels of understanding of their respective fields of studies are sufficiently broad and deep to function as researchers and teachers. However, such positive feedback from universities does not seem to be echoed from the industrial and research sectors, which are of the opinion that the present postgraduate programs at universities tend to produce researchers that are over-specialized. Research graduates are said to know more and more about less and less. With the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of useful knowledge today, the job market cannot tolerate such numbers of over-specialized graduates whose postgraduate training in the academic world is disconnected from their subsequent career paths. They soon discover that things are different in the real world of work and often end up in roles that make little use of their postgraduate training, representing a big loss to the nation’s research capability.
Enhancing Innovation What holds us back from becoming innovative? In living our life and tending to our work, we all are constrained by a number of restrictions that we ourselves have chosen to submit to. We plan, act and make choices by the rules that we have accepted or rejected through life. The need to conform to the values and standards of our own peers leads to ever greater regimentation so that, In actuality, we are not at all different from others. However, to be innovative, one must be different. Independent thinking is the sine qua non of innovation. Any researcher who has not been told that his or her ideas are crazy probably has not been doing much independent thinking. Innovation does not come from researchers who choose to play safe and always do things the same old conventional way. It is the risk-takers who solve problems and create opportunities from learning by trial-and-error. Some university professors have been known to over-supervise their postgraduate students, training students in established experimental protocols and producing results as postulated. This process is repeated over and over by outgoing and incoming students into their laboratories. In the long run, all this does is restrict the generation of new information. Left to their own devices, postgraduate students tend to have minds that see research problems in familiar patterns as suggested by their professors. This is retrogressive if we expect innovation to flourish. Students doing research must not lose their own sense of curiosity and sense of wonder. Conventional wisdom and popular assumptions must not be allowed to act as prejudices for them to constantly question and challenge. Those who have prejudged research outcomes pay less attention to details and stop looking for new patterns or for anomalies. They stop asking why. Prejudices limit vision, and limited vision limits innovation.
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The adverse impact of over-specialization can only be offset by producing graduates who are more multi-disciplinary, diverse and well-rounded in their knowledge, competencies and skills. UKM has addressed these problems by taking steps to ensure that postgraduate students are exposed to the education and training programs necessary for multi-tasking roles. Several initiatives have been implemented to ensure the production of research graduates with highly marketable attributes, not just for the public sector, but also for industry and the private sector. Among these initiatives are the establishment of dedicated multi-disciplinary research institutes which offer a range of postgraduate research programs that are topical and contemporary in nature (see Chapter 3). To provide a broader grasp of knowledge and research skills during postgraduate training, UKM has offered a number of split-degree research programs jointly administered by different departments, faculties and institutes. Graduates of such programmes are expected to have more flexible career options and opportunities in an increasingly competitive job market. Double-major graduates are equipped with relevant knowledge and skills enabling them to adapt to the ever-changing challenges in their working world with greater ease and confidence than those without this double focus.
Industrial Research Training A particular challenge in research training that needs to be addressed is the employers’ expressed criticism that the research training provided by postgraduate programs is too theoretical. UKM deals with this concern by providing its postgraduate students with high quality industrial training. The quality and relevance of this training must not only meet the needs of the industry but also satisfy the market demands of the country. The university is totally committed to prepare and provide the next generation of researchers through quality industrial training in a diverse range of disciplines. Through a variety of links with industry, research students are required to undergo part of their research training in the industry related to their fields of study. Such collaborative arrangements give students useful workplace experience and provide them with excellent opportunities to put theory into practice. Besides developing industrial skills in their own areas of study, students on industrial attachments also are introduced to entrepreneurial skills, providing them with invaluable insights into the challenging processes related to research commercialisation and working as teams. In the past, industry has been seen merely as an end-user of education; academics only think of industrial organisations as employers of graduates. Now, however, appreciation is growing that the flow is really in both directions. Industry is also increasingly becoming the source of students seeking university education. Like a university, industry too, in its own right, has become an important provider of education and training. They often provide in-house staff development programs which include a diverse range of courses from business development, industry leadership, and entrepreneurship to communication, negotiation skills and basic computer skills. Partnerships between universities and industry helps to ensure that training, retraining and upgrading of employees target appropriate skills. Indeed, the notion of lifelong learning is more than a catchphrase of the day; it is transforming higher education.
Past University Research: a Hidden Treasure? UKM as an Entrepreneurial Institution Strategies for Entrepreneurial University - Centre for Collaborative Innovation - Policies and Agreements on Ownership of Intellectual Property - Technology Licensing - Leveraging from University-Industry Partnerships - UKM-SIT Capacity Building for Innovation and Research Commercialisation Bridging the “Valley Of Death” - Establishing Platforms for Entrepreneurship - Gaining Impetus from Start-Ups - On-Campus Academic Entrepreneurship (AE) Training - Understanding the Market UKM-MTDC Collaboration - Ukm-Mtdc Technology Centre - Ukm-Mtdc Symbiosis Program
6
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005) Austrian-American management consultant, educator and author
In the past two decades, the political stability in the Southeast Asian countries has led to great economic and social development in Malaysia. It is not surprising that many eminent economists and business leaders have predicted Malaysia to become a major force for development in the region. In parallel to these economic developments, there has been tremendous concern about the characteristics of the Malaysian education system. To meet the needs and challenges Malaysia is facing in a very competitive global environment, a radical transformation and substantial expansion of its educational systems, particularly the higher education sector, have been on the agenda of the government on a regular basis. Already, Malaysia has a clear national vision for the new century, and a firm commitment to higher education will play a critical role in achieving that vision. Accordingly, the traditional roles of a university need to be expanded beyond those they play presently. For decades, the generation and dissemination of knowledge through research, teaching and learning have been the responsibilities of universities in Malaysia, but more must be expected from our universities to help realize Malaysia’s Vision 2020. One of the ways forward is for Malaysian universities to become more entrepreneurial in their objectives and undertakings.
Past University Research: A Hidden Treasure? Hundreds of millions of ringgit in government funding have flowed into Malaysian universities in the form of research grants (Chapter 3). This funding has provided the engine for the operation of scores of laboratories throughout the country to carry out research in areas deemed relevant and crucial to the nation’s economic growth and social well-being. As a result, a huge body of knowledge has already been generated from the hundreds of millions of ringgit invested in research in the past. Annually, huge grants and funding are poured into hundreds of research laboratories in public universities and government research organisations. Volumes of data, information and research protocols have been churned out through years of feverish toil and dedication of thousands of brilliant minds and highly-trained professors and research students. Unfortunately, these sources of knowledge and new technologies and skills remain in their most nascent and rawest stage of development. For a long time, they often just “sit on the book shelves of the professor” and very rarely do they ever make it to “the shelves of the marketplace.” The universities as well as the funding agencies of the government are indeed aware of this accumulation of a huge body of knowledge from years of R&D activities in Malaysia that remains as untapped wealth. Unlocking the value of this knowledge through its appropriate application and effective technology transfer could potentially result in wealth creation and economic growth for both the universities and the country (Fig 6-1).
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Huge Untapped Wealth in University R&D:
Technology Transfer & R&D
Wealth
Society
Economy Growth
Job
Figure 6-1: Unexploited wealth in past research from Malaysian universities
UKM as an Entrepreneurial Institution Traditionally, the underlying culture in Malaysian universities has been viewed as in non-compliance with advancing entrepreneurship. After all, one hardly hears of any successful university spin-off companies in the Malaysian scenario. Home-grown ground-breaking innovation resulting from publicly-funded research is still a rarity here. This, however, is not true on the global landscape. The common misconception that entrepreneurship is in conflict with the university’s role can be easily dispelled by pointing out successful companies that have become household names today. Google, Netscape, Genentech, Hewlett Packard, Polaroid, Lycos, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Chiron, Amgen, Regeneron and Cisco Systems are all examples of university start-ups that have resulted from university entrepreneurship. In the United States, over 400 university start-ups are created each year based on federally funded R&D activities. By the early 1990s, gradual changes occurred as universities in Malaysia were given ownership of the valuable knowledge and technologies generated by past researchers. They are now encouraged to commercialize their research findings for the benefit of society. The impact of this change of mindset on the part of the Malaysian government has been nothing short of transformative. Almost instantaneously, university entrepreneurship – the missing link between academia and industry – has become fashionable. With high levels of funding that is increasingly made available for purchase of state-of-the-art research equipment and its maintenance, the entrepreneurial path seems like the best option and less hazy. The rising cost of doing research today and the need to attract and retain the best people present great challenges and are most daunting for universities on this unfamiliar track. Research universities must start to think of creative and innovative ideas to reduce their total reliance on government funding and eventually to gain financial independence. Like any trendy ingenuity worth its salt, university entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly effervescent, ambitious and even somewhat unmanageable at times.
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Over the past decade, UKM has risen to the challenge of training, developing and empowering its academic staff as entrepreneurs, despite the fact that the practice of spinning-out companies based on university intellectual property (IP) is still relatively young in Malaysia. University entrepreneurship has undoubtedly displayed much energy and vibrancy here, instigating enormous creativity and imagination in its own researchers and academic leaders. It continues to evolve and grow at a stunning pace. Bold initiatives that are the exception and not the rule in the recent past are today effectively executed in pragmatic fashion to rise up to the challenges of the 21st century. For so long, entrepreneurship has been touted as the missing conduit between academia and industry. It is, however, becoming clear that this link is not completely elusive. Today, UKM recognizes entrepreneurship as a major path to reaping the commercial benefits from R&D activities carried out by the researchers. This can be achieved through a wave of entrepreneurial activities of both the inventors at UKM and the stakeholders in the industry. The university must proactively act to remove some of the obstacles that have so long insulated the blossoming of entrepreneurship from its research undertakings. Success in commercialisation of research outcomes involves many players and phases. Among the issues that need constant reinforcement of support would include the university’s commitment to entrepreneurship by staff and students, particularly through support and investment by the university in securing and adding value to the intellectual property rights (IPR). UKM has not only seen many opportunities for commercialisation of its R&D activities but has also become the champion of many new technologies or IPs. Interested parties who are likely to benefit from these opportunities are identified and convinced on both the scientific merit and applicability of the IPs. The credibility of each researcher is also established with the interested party. All these marketing approaches are done with absolute timing in terms of the potential customer’s own business cycle.
Strategies for Entrepreneurial University Some key strategies employed by UKM in building an entrepreneurial culture among its staff and students are worth noting.
Centre for Collaborative Innovation Through a specially created Business Liaison Office or the Office of Technology Transfer and R&D Contracting known as the Centre for Collaborative Innovation (CCI), UKM provides adequate incentives and support for commercialisation of research. All steps leading to application, acquisition and management of IPs, research commercialisation and external research contracting are executed through the office of the Director of the CCI. The flow process from university research to commercialisation is outlined in Figure 6-2.
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Disclosure
IP Due Diligence
Commercial Due Diligence
IP Strategy & Filing
Product Developmet & Technology Screening
Commercial Strategy
IP outright sale/ Licensing
Start Up Company
Business Plan
Manage STUs & Exit Strategy
Figure 6-2: Flow process from research to commercialisation
To familiarize the campus community with the complexities of innovation and commercialisation, this Office also offers internal training, learning opportunities and other support for both staff and students on intellectual property and technology transfer issues. Policies and Agreements on Ownership of Intellectual Property A research university like UKM has to demonstrate commitment and transparency to its own staff and students concerning the benefits, both intellectual and financial, to be derived from university-industry collaboration. UKM has begun to establish a set of criteria that are flexible and yet capable wof giving appropriate protection to the university in the partnership with the profit-driven industry. Legally sound intellectual property policies and proprietary agreements are put in place for the creation of the right environment for this partnership. The university has been proactive in drawing up established procedures, such as technology screening for identifying potentially valuable IP. It is pertinent that the faculty and students involved in R&D activities understand, accept and feel comfortable with the issues of IP right and ownership. Ultimately, a fair
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and equitable reward system to the academic staff and students participating in this collaboration has been carefully articulated to capture the trust and confidence of all parties involved (Fig 6-3). Research Finding
(Prototype by Research)
Step 1 Application for IP filing
(by Technology Transfer Panels)
Step 3 Evaluation Endorsement
(Due-diligence by Panel lawyers)Patent Search Report
(to PIK by researcher)Non-disclosure Form
Step 4 Evaluation Result Approval
Step 2 Patent Search
Step 5 Patent Filing
(Local or International filing by PIK to MyIPO)
(by Heads of NIC and Evaluation Panels)
Step 6 Patent filed (MyIPO)
Precommercialization (PIK)
Fig 6-3: The IP application process
Technology Licensing Intellectual property (IP) is widely recognized as a tool for economic growth. In practice, UKM has demonstrated that technology licensing can be a viable mechanism to generate wealth. Guidance in technology licensing is aimed primarily at meeting the demands of the business community, technology managers and scientists who have to deal with licensing in the course of their work. When one of the parties owns valuable intangible assets, known as Intellectual Property (IP), that owner has the legal right to prevent the other party from using it. A technology license is the consent by the owner to the use of the technology or service covered by the IP in exchange for money or something else of value. Technology licensing does not occur in the absence of IP. Research universities in Malaysia could potentially generate considerable income from their IPs if the substantial number generated in the short period between 2007 and 2011 (Figure 6-4) were marketed. However, out of 1,672 IPs generated at Malaysian research universities, only a mere 118 have found their way to the marketplace. One of the obstacles leading to this sluggish performance is the dearth of funding for development of these new technologies in the pre-commercialisation stages. The monetary worth of these IPs generated by a Malaysian research university could indeed be substantial if these IPs could eventually find their way to the marketplace (Figure 6-5). Out of 700 IPs generated by UKM, 30 have been commercialized bringing a total value of around RM40 million through technology licensing to 30 start-up companies (Table 6-1). To date, five of the start-up companies have reached the intended marketplace while 15 are still progressing at the incubation stage managed by UKM Technology Sdn Bhd. A further 10 companies have progressed promisingly under the UKM-MTDC Symbiosis and have been raised to “spin-off” company status. The start-up companies under UKM Technology Sdn Bhd and “spin-off” companies under UKM-MTDC Symbiosis are shown in Figure 6-11.
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Figure 6-4: Status of IPs in research universities
Unlocking the RU IP Value AIM identified
19
With 3 yr potential sales of
RM 378.3 Million
IPs thatneeds need IP that to be beexploited: exploited:
1,472
Pre-com funding is required to unlock the value of the IPs Figure 6-5: The monetary worth of IPs from Malaysian research universities
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Table 6- 1: Commercialisation of UKM Intellectual Property (2006-2012) No
Criteria
Unit for Kpi
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012 (JanNov)
1
Commercialized Products
Total number of products licensed for commercialization
1
1
1
2
2
13
11
2
Technology know-how licensing
Total number of technology knowhow licensing
1
2
2
0
0
35
23
2
3
3
2
2
48
34
Total
Leveraging from University-Industry Partnerships Research universities must show openness in their research management and practices to tap not only the research facilities and infrastructure available outside their own institutions but also the intellectual capital that can be harnessed through people networking. The personnel in these networks may come from other universities or from industry. Such willingness to collaborate can bring greater contributive benefits from the industry to the university, especially in the areas of direct technology innovation and application. Synergy, not competition, between the industry and university must be advocated and promoted. Only through a free-flowing exchange of knowledge and ideas can a research university leverage its overall effectiveness in contributing to the economic growth of the nation. Through the office of CCI, a direct and mutually beneficial link between the industry and UKM can be established. In this way industry will be able to gain convenient access to the expertise and resources available at UKM to initiate R&D activities leading to product and process innovation. Turning research into useful products and services requires an all-inclusive innovative ecosystem. The workings of the ecosystem rely heavily on a complex interplay of factors including innovative human capital from a range of disciplines and contemporary knowledge, sufficient funds, conducive infrastructure and, most importantly, entrepreneurial outlook. The researchers participating in university-industry partnerships are provided with lucrative incentives financially as well as personal gratification. UKM seeks to forge a network of collaborative ventures with the industrial sector and has succeeded in procuring worthwhile and adequate funding for a number of research projects (Table 6-2). A number of pre-commercialisation activities have been successfully executed under UKM-industry collaborative programs. An initiative known as IP Census (20102011) was successfully carried out with the cooperation of the Special Innovation Unit
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No.
Collaborative Partner
Research Project
1
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation
Development Of UKM-MTDC Technology Centre (Incubation Centre)
2
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation
Kulitku-Development of cGMP Tissue Engineering Lab For Clinical Trials
3
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation
NEMS: Palm Oil-Based Lipid Emulsion for Intravenous
4
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation
GMP For Herbal Compositions
5
S&V Innovation Sdn Bhd
ASIS Product Development
6
SKLIP Sdn Bhd
Intelligent Traffic Control System Product Development
7
Rapid Lab Sdn Bhd
Biosensor Product Development
8
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation
Commercialisation via 10 startup companies via UKM-MTDC Symbiosis Graduate Entrepreneurship program
9
Stevens Institute Of Technology, New Jersey, Usa
Capacity Building Programs For AcademicEntrepreneurship (AE), Innovation and Commercialization & “Entrepreneur-InResidence” (EIR)
10
Isis Innovation Ltd (Oxford University,) London
“Entrepreneur-In-Residence” (EIR)
11
Unit Inovasi Khas (Unik), Prime Minister’s Department
IP Census And Wealth Creation / Innovation Business Opportunity (IBO)
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No.
Collaborative Partner
Research Project
12
Comintel Green Technologies Sdn Bhd
Collaborative Research And Development Of Biomass Technology
13
Jatro (S’pore) Pte Ltd
Collaborative Research And Development Of Jatropha Oil Transesterification And Pilot Production For Conversion Into Sustainable Green Jet Fuel
14
KPJ Healthcare Sdn Bhd
Casemix Solutions & Helthcare Training Modules
15
Osa Technology Sdn Bhd
BRIM Pelvic Binder and HIREP Product Development
16
One Biotech Sdn Bhd
Palm Oil-Based Adjuvant for Animal Vaccines Product Development
17
Cradle Fund & TIE Malaysia Chapter
Lab to Market Commercialisation Programme
18
RVR Diagnostics Sdn Bhd
“Dengue Rapid Test Kit” Product Development
of the Prime Minister’s Department (UNIK) and Malaysia Innovation Agency (AIM). The collaboration has resulted in the inclusion of a number of UKM research products in the National IPR Depository (Khazanah Hak Intelek Malaysia) portfolio. These products will be put on offer to the business community and to public investors under the Wealth Creation & Innovation Business Opportunity (IBO) program managed by the Malaysia Innovation Agency (AIM). In an effort to identify and assess home-grown technologies for commercialisation, UKM works hand in hand with such internationally renowned entities as the Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey (US) and ISIS Innovation Ltd (Oxford University) in addition to a local agency, the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC). As a result, more than twenty UKM research innovations have been identified for further enhancement and value-add to enter the potential market. UKM also tries to make maximum gains from several government-initiated programs aimed specifically to spur innovation. The Lab2Market Commercialisation
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Program (L2M) is one of several progressive ideas that form part of the Malaysian Government “Entry Point Project 9: Advanced Engineering, Science and Innovation Cluster” under the Education National Key Economic Area (NKEA) of the Economic Transformation Program (ETP). This program is a collaborative network involving agencies and institutions in Malaysia. The initiative brings together the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Government agencies, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, Agensi Inovasi Malaysia and Technology Park Malaysia, Malaysian Research Universities and TIE Malaysia to collaborate in spurring innovation from research. The L2M Program acts as a catalyst for commercialisation, effectively functioning by bringing together innovators and investors. A number of UKM researchers and project managers have the opportunity to undergo training and mentoring sessions organized by TIE Malaysian Chapter where participants are taught to articulate a business plan and other entrepreneurship concerns. TIE Global, the world’s largest non-profit organization promoting entrepreneurship, has been appointed by the Performance Management Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) of the Prime Minister’s Department to co-ordinate the Lab2Market program. By forging a working relationship with TIE Malaysia, UKM hopes to expose Malaysian researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs to the like-minded in the world community. Through the Lab2Market program, sixteen UKM research products were nominated for assessment, and nine progressed to the final stage of consideration for funding. The subsequent elimination process identified four UKM innovations to receive development funding of between RM 0.5 – 1.5 million for commercialisation of individual products. The success rate of technology screening by various agencies and potential investors is shown in Figure 6-6.
Total IP evaluated 291
Recommended for Commercialisation Commercialisation at various stages
300 250 200
148
150 100 50
24
69 28
45
21
10
6
13
11
14
9
4
Lab2market Program Pitching (PEMANDU)
UNIK- Stevens Technology Evaluation
UNIK IP Census
15 ISIS-UKM Tech IP Screening
0 MTDC Technology Screening
Figure 6-6: UKM Technology screening through University-Industry collaboration
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The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has established a special program to bridge the gap between the discovery and pre-commercialisation stages of research and innovation. A Prototype Development Research Grant Scheme (PRGS) has been established for this specific purpose. In 2010, thirteen research products from UKM were successful in securing a total of RM3.34 million from PRGS and in 2012, a further nine 9 products were funded with a total of RM 1.6 million in grants (Figure 6-7). 45 13
40 35 30
9
29
25 20
2
15
Successful Applications Approve with condition Not Approved
15
10 5 0 2011
2012
Figure 6-7: Success rate of PRGS (2011-2012) of UKM applications
To further facilitate the feasibility and success of research commercialisation, UKM makes available a special category of innovation fund for the development of Proof of Concept (POC) and prototype. This is aimed at enhancing the commercial value of UKM innovations in the eyes of potential investors and industry. In 2010, twelve projects are supported under this innovation fund with a total of RM 1.025 million, 5 projects in 2011 with RM 682,000 and 10 projects in 2012 with RM1.2 million (Figure 6- 8).
35
Number
30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2011
2010
2012
Year Not Approve
Approve
Figure 6-8: Number of applications and success rate for UKM innovation fund (2010-2012)
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UKM has identified Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) as the strategic partner in implementing its pilot projects arising from the university’s own research. The successful models of the SIT are being used. SIT has been recognized to be successful in introducing and implementing technogenesis in the technology transfer of research outcomes to industry and enterprises. Technogenesis is the notion that humans evolve not simply as a result of a transmuting human body or mental capacity, but we co-evolve alongside the tools or artifacts made available to us. The point here is that technologies can be thought of agents responsible for human evolution and changes, in ways both small (e.g. an erasable ink-highlighter) and grand (e.g. ground-breaking tools like the new media of digital television and prints). In other words, technology is thought of as having the transformative power giving rise to the concept of technological determinism – a notion that there is a cause-and-effect relation between technology and society. In practice, technogenesis then gives birth to technology transfer models that not only think about the design and distribution of technologies, but also their uses and users. In 2008, SIT was ranked third in the USA for achieving the highest return on investment in R&D (Forbes, 2008). Business Week recognized that SIT is superior to Stanford and MIT in terms of creation of new enterprises and start-ups by graduates (Figure 6-9).
To bring R&D outcomes to the marketplace via creation of University Start-ups and new
enterprises
T o ev al u
ate and establish the most effective model in commercialization of R&D findings
To ru l of n schoo busin an entrepre s from archers e t neurial pro a es s f o u d a r g se gram especially to train 20 r f ro m w i t h re o n me n t F a c u t h em to g a i n s k r initiatives Built, lty of Science a ills through a collaborative eering and Envi &D n d T e c h n o l o g y , Fa c u l t y o f E n g i n F a cu l t y he R o f Me d i c i ent to t lan projec m h c a tt n a e ( a y P n d Fa c u l t y o f Ph a r m a c t teams s ) to carry ou Busines t Market Feasibility Study and
Figure 6-9: UKM-SIT Capacity building for innovation and research commercialisation
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Bridging the “Valley of Death” UKM has long promoted the effort to understand the marketplace among its researchers and academics. Policies on commercialisation of research have been articulated and put in place, particularly in identifying and evaluating their application potentials to meet the needs of industry. Improved policies have been formulated to be sufficiently flexible to protect the interests of university researchers in their partnership with the profitdriven marketplace. Despite these efforts to bring university R&D discoveries to the market place, success was dismal in the early years of UKM’s existence. Upon much reflection, the university has come to recognize the underlying cause of this uninspiring outreach: university R&Ds and IPs are often only at their nascent stage at the laboratory bench and hence are not quite ready to exit directly into the marketplace. This “gap” between the laboratory IPs and commercializable products has been dubbed “the valley of death” in the industry. Subsequently, UKM has made the policy decision to act more proactively and aggressively in building the missing conduit to bridge this ever-perilous “valley of death.” One of the means to this end is to invest in the formation and running of several start-up companies on campus with the hope to eventually bring university research and IPs to the marketplace. In the past 5 years, several competitive high-value spin-off ventures and start-ups have been set up with the goal of realizing entrepreneurship success through these companies. The venture companies are primarily based on home-grown IPs, in which UKM retains an equity stake and a royalty stream.
Establishing Platforms for Entrepreneurship To oversee its investments in venture companies, UKM has established several business liaison platforms that can further assist in accelerating the commercialisation process. A Technology Transfer Office (TTO) known as UKM-Centre for Collaborative Innovation (UKM-CCI) was set up to provide the much-needed incentives and support for bridging the gaping trench that lies between university laboratories and the marketplace. The role of this company is unconventional. It serves as a one-stop resource centre, the nervecentre for innovation and commercialisation. UKM-CCI facilitates all commercialisation processes, including collaboration with industry, intellectual property management, technology management, pre-commercialisation activities, technology enterprise development, capacity building and technology transfer. The TTO was also set up to specially function in raising the visibility of UKM research discoveries and IPs among the industrial clientele. The TTO is assigned to seek out possible partnerships to further develop research outputs and eventuate for commercial production. This invariably entails critical assessments of both technical and marketing aspects, manufacturing requirements and financial feasibility in order to maximize the commercial potential of the products.
Gaining Impetus from Start-Ups A technology transfer company, UKM Technology Sdn. Bhd (UKMTech), was also established as a conduit to full commercialisation process which facilitates business
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advisory and necessary services to researchers who are often unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the elaborate processes of forming start-up companies. Under UKMTech, 32 technology start-up companies have been formed, commercialising various technologies from the university. To avoid complications arising from business arrangements and possible conflicts of interest arising from future dealings with the industry, a clear-cut working relationship between UKM-CCI and UKMTech have been put in place. The UKM-for Collaborative Innovation and UKMTech are both involved in the selection of technologies to be commercialized. The selection entails a stringent due diligence process and the formulation of business plans. UKM assigns the rights to UKMTech to carry out the commercialisation of the technology and also acts as the Licensor on behalf of the university. Business arrangements with third parties follow a number of feasible models which include but are not limited to technology licensing and formation of university start-up companies, joint ventures and strategic alliances with industry partners. In the formation of a University start-up or joint-venture company, UKM Technology Sdn Bhd is the proxy of UKM as shareholder. It selects the mode of commercialisation on a case-by-case basis. The options are many, including but not limited to IP assignment or outright sale, licensing to a third party company, licensing to a university startup company, formation of a university start-up company, incorporated joint-venture company or strategic alliance in the form of unincorporated joint venture. Where licensing is involved, UKMTech selects the licensing path, including outright licensing to established companies or to the newly established start-up companies. Alternatively, the licensing path can develop through “ripening’’ mechanisms where the task of product development is out-sourced to private licensing organisations. The process flow between R&D from UKM and commercialisation efforts by UKM Technology Sdn Bhd is illustrated in Figure 6-10. University R&D and Innovation Pipeline Center for Collaborative Innovation, UKM (Pre-Commercialisation) Disclosure
IP Due Diligence (Assessment)
IP Protection Strategy
Pre-Commercialisation (Product Development & Technology Screening)
UKM Technology SdnB hd Commercialisation) UKM appoints UKM Tech as Licensor
Commercial Due Diligence
Commercialisation Committee
Business Plan
Start up company (STU) / JV
IP outright sale / Licensing
Figure 6-10: The process flow of IP commercialisation
Manage STUs & Exit Strategy
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Researchers at UKM now are fully aware of the processes and platforms made available to them through the commercialisation framework depicted in Figure 6-10. Government and funding agencies are equally sympathetic with university researchers after knowing and appreciating the often laborious steps one needs to take before bringing research and innovation to the marketplace. Today, UKM alone has formed over 30 start-up companies, creating jobs for a large number of trained knowledge workers in a number of areas of economic growth (Figure 6-11).
Figure 6-11: UKM Start-up companies
On-Campus Academic Entrepreneurship (AE) Training The strategies and activities for effective execution of a business plan can be mind-boggling to many academics on campus, who have had no business training. Internal training, learning opportunities and other supports for both staff and students on intellectual property and technology transfer issues are also offered through the office of the CCI. A program called “Entrepreneur-in-Residence” (EIR) has also been initiated by CCI. It provides a nearly hands-on training in commercialisation of university research, including due-diligence processes such IP audit, IP screening, technology screening, business-matching, prototype development and pre-seed funding. Professional input and advice are provided for start-ups and global networking and the management of IPs. Both local and global experts are invited to offer invaluable points in de-risking methods for early-stage technology start-ups to minimize the risk of start-up failure. This has proved highly in demand and of utmost importance when dealing with academics, who are generally naive about the realities of commerce and the marketplace.
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Students majoring in business administration are employed to conduct market research with the start-up companies as part of their experiential training programs. Industrial training students from various schools and faculties are also being trained with UKM start-up companies to give them early exposure and understanding of evaluation of customer needs, market demands and clientele satisfaction. In this way, more graduates of UKM would be equipped with the necessary skill sets for entrepreneurship, putting them in a better position and giving them a head-start in participation, adding to the growing pool of innovative human capital much needed for nation building.
UKM-MTDC Collaboration The core responsibility of the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC; established in 1992) is to promote the development of technology businesses in Malaysia. Its focus has been the promotion and commercialisation of home-grown research and technologies. It has also been tasked with encouraging and facilitating investments in new ventures in new technologies from abroad. Today, MTDC has evolved to become a venture capital company that serves as a one-stop agency where financing can be acquired to bring research ideas all the way to the marketplace.
UKM-MTDC Technology Centre The UKM-MTDC Technology Centre was established to fully capitalize on the expert advice and consultation occurring in a university-industry link. The Centre is a joint venture between UKM and MTDC that functions as a magnet to attract businesses and companies mainly involved in biotechnology. Located on a 6-acre piece of land within the UKM campus in Bangi, the Centre provides luxurious business space between 15 to 30 tenants.
UKM-MTDC Symbiosis Program MTDC has introduced a number of initiatives aimed at promoting commercialisation of research from local universities. One such program is the MTDC’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Program, or Symbiosis. Through this program, graduate students are selected and groomed to become technopreneurs. Symbiosis is an all-encompassing training program that exposes trainees to many aspects of commercialisation as well as entrepreneurship. Equipped with business knowledge and skills, the young entrepreneurs trained by MTDC are usually picked to lead start-up companies of research universities. Through the Symbiosis program, MTDC has assisted UKM in identifying potential technopreneurs for the commercialisation of a number of innovations. A total of ten spin-off companies have been formed as a result (Table 6-3). In 2011, ten spin-off companies received a total of RM2.0 million for commercialisation through the UKMMTDC Symbiosis program, two companies each receiving RM500,000 from UKM Technology Sdn Bhd and CIP Fund.
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Table 6-3: UKM-MTDC spin-off companies
No
Company
Commercialisation Research Product/ Innovation
1
A1 Meditech Sdn Bhd
Patient Transfer Device - A1 BOD
2
Cell Tissue Sdn Bhd
MyDermTM -Autologous Bilayer Tissue Engineered Human Skin
3
Food Protech Sdn Bhd
Technology In Producing Chocolate And Confectionery Products
4
Gas Sensor Sdn Bhd
Carbon Monoxide Sensor
5
GreenXS Sdn Bhd
escCUBE: A Smart City Kiosk
6
HCA Products Sdn Bhd
Roselle in Weight Loss & Supplement Products
7
Icon Pharma Sdn Bhd
Nata de Coco-based Hydrogel as an Advanced Hydrogel Wound Dressing
8
NXPhotonics Sdn Bhd
Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) Coupler
9
PV&T Technologies Sdn Bhd
Solar Dryer for Agriculture and Marine Product
10
Solar GE Sdn Bhd
Solar Charge Controller
What Does it Mean to be a World-Class University? Western Monopoly of Knowledge A Journey that Takes Five Decades What Makes a World Class University? - Academic Freedom - Academic Integrity and Responsibility - First-Rate Academic Infrastructure - Conducive Learning Environment - Quality Postgraduate Education - Top-Notch Teachers and Researchers - Committed Leadership Journey to the Top - Roles of the Government - Roles of the University - UKM on Track to World-Class - Beware of Collateral Damage
7
“For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.” Lao-Tzu (Chinese Philosopher, Co-founder of Taoism)
In September 2005, the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) published the ranking of world universities. Malaysia’s top two universities slipped by almost 100 places compared with their rankings of previous years. Hell broke loose. Without investigating whether the result might have been due to a change in the ranking methodology, calls for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry was made to look into the causes of such fall from repute. It was a national disgrace. This was especially greeted with much concern from the government, which had just launched its Ninth Development Plan, announcing its primary aim of shaping Malaysia into a knowledge-based economy and the university sector as the key player in this transformation. In its 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), five public universities, namely, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, were designated as research universities. These universities would receive special financial supports for their research activities to achieve world-class status, bringing them at par with other acclaimed universities internationally. Driven by knowledge and innovation, these five research universities are expected to contribute to enhancing the economic growth and global competitiveness of the country. But this has also raised a compelling consideration. Why is “world-class” the standard to which Malaysia should aspire? Would the country be better served by developing its own standards with emphasis on indigenous knowledge and homegrown technologies relevant to local needs, without concern for their relative merits on the global stage? Would not “world-class” seem synonymous with “elite Western,” that is, inherently biased toward meeting the needs of western cultural traditions instead of Malaysia’s? These are reasonable questions that need to be debated and resolved convincingly, failing which the government may well end up breeding much skepticism among local academics who question the motives out of genuine curiosity or as a form of escapism from their lack of self-esteem or failure of confidence to compete on a world stage.
What Does it Mean to be a World-Class University? Within Malaysia’s academic circles, the term world-class university has only recently become a catchphrase. This focus on world-class status is not simply a challenge
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to improve the quality of learning and research at our universities, but also to develop the capacity to compete in the global education marketplace through the generation, dissemination and application of knowledge. The paradox surrounding this preoccupation with attaining so-called world-class status is that everyone seems anxious to attain it, but no one has a clue what the term actually means, much less how to attain that status. The truth of the matter is that “world-class” status is not achieved by self-proclamation; on the contrary, such elite status is accorded by the outside world of academia on the basis of international recognition. Terming a reputation “world-class” has been for a long time a subjective assessment. This epithet is traditionally reserved for Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Yale or Columbia in the United States, or for Oxford and Cambridge in the UK or for the University of Tokyo in Japan. Ironically, there never exists any direct and rigorous measure to substantiate these universities’ claim of superiority over others in the world. Their outstanding performances in terms of training of graduates, research output, and technology transfer are not officially assessed by any approved world body. Even if that assessment were to be done independently, assessment methods are open to much criticism. For instance, higher salaries captured by graduates of these “world-class” universities are one of the yardsticks considered as the true value of their educational programs. Lucrative job offers, however, are often based of a variety of graduate attributes that are not necessarily related to the quality of research and study programs of a university. All too often, the reputation of an institution plays a big role in salary offers made to its graduates. In spite of the inconsistencies and skepticism surrounding “world-class” status, job offers and salary bids seem to be weighted heavily in determining “world-class” status. The two most comprehensive international rankings are those prepared by the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). They provide broad benchmark comparisons of institutions across national borders that appear to be acceptable to most institutions and stake-holders of higher education. The ranking system uses objective or subjective data, sometimes both, obtained from the universities themselves or from the public domain. The THES ranking selects the top 200 universities in the world, focusing primarily on the universities’ world reputations. It also pulls in subjective input such as peer reviews and employer feedbacks. Quantitative indicators, including the numbers of senior professors, postgraduate students and citations of journal publications, are also used. The THES ranking is considered too subjective by many. SJTU, on the other hand, employs a ranking method that is considered more reliable because it places due emphasis on objective indicators as well, including publications, citations, and international awards of academics and students. SJTU ranking also has a bigger database for comparison since it identifies the top 500 universities in the world. Table 7-1 shows the top twenty universities according to the 2008 THES and SJTU world rankings.
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Table 7-1: Top 20 Universities in THES and SJTU World Rankings, 2008
Rank
THES
SJTU
1
Havard University
Havard University
2
Yale University
Stanford University
3
University of Cambridge
University of California, Berkeley
4
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
5
California Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
6
Imperial College London
California Istitute of Technology
7
University College London
Columbia University
8
University of Chicago
Princeton University
9
Massachusetts Institute of Technol ogy (MIT)
University of Chicago
10
Columbia University
University of Oxford
11
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University
12
Princeton University
Cornell University
13
Duke University
University of California, Los Angeles
14
John Hopkins University
University of California, San Diego
15
Cornell University
University of Pennsylvania
16
Australia National University
University of Washington, Seattle
17
Stanford University
University of Wisconson, Madison
18
University of Michigan
University of California, San Francisco
19
University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
20
McGill University
Johns Hopkins University
Sources: THES 2008, SJTU 2008
Western Monopoly of Knowledge From the two listings by THES and SJTU, it is evident that most universities recognized as world-class come from a very small number of countries. Starkly obvious also is that they are all geographically concentrated in the United States and the Western European countries. The only exception is the University of Tokyo, which seems to have made it among the top 20 in both rankings. On further scrutiny, one soon reaches the somber realization that even if the list were to be extended among the 50 top world class universities, according to the one SJTU ranking, the majority still comes from a small group of eight North American and Western European countries. Japan, again, is the only glaring exception (Figure 7-1).
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Australia (6) Other Asia (5)
Western Europe (5)
THES Ranking United States (20)
Canada (2) Japan (2)
SJTU Ranking United States (20)
Western Europe (5)
Canada (3)
United Kingdom (8)
Japan (3)
Figure 7-1: Geographical distribution of world-class universities (Top 50 in 2008)
Today, according to the SJTU rankings, 36 of the 50 top research universities in the world are found in one nation, the USA. The breadth and depth of knowledge discovery and innovation coming out of these American research universities have been most impressive. They have provided strong impetus from which new fields of knowledge and technologies have sprouted. It is therefore no wonder that the United States has been and remains the leader in innovation in the world in just about every aspect of science and technology. But this monopoly is not likely to continue forever. Other nations realize that they should not depend on this handful of American universities for the generation of new knowledge and innovation to meet global demands endlessly into the future. Demand will certainly exceed supply soon. Generation of useful knowledge and innovation will prove too sporadic, incapable of providing all the urgent solutions to many of the world’s problems today and the near future. Otherwise, worldwide, sustainable growth and development will be disrupted. For this reason, governments in both advanced and developing countries have been increasingly aware of the importance of providing support for research universities that can generate useful knowledge and innovation. Already, middle- and low-income countries have been striving to keep pace with the knowledge stakes and dividends with varying results. Research investments in emerging economies like Brazil, China, Singapore and South Africa have risen substantially in recent years. Emphasis on postgraduate research and research training, particularly in the fields of science, technology and engineering, has also been mounting in many developing nations. Yet, the state of affairs of research universities and post-graduate education in certain middle- and low-income countries remains bleak. Arguably, even the poorest nations must embark on their own research capacity building in order to progress. Support for the establishment of research universities has become more urgent than ever before. Undoubtedly, this will be a daunting task for poorer nations. Attaining research university status and maintaining the quality and relevance of research require enormous national budgets and sustained national commitments.
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Over time, expectations from the government and the public at large grew. UKM has since been entrusted with the major responsibility to educate and train students in diverse disciplines to meet the increasing demand for human capital. It also performs research and development that would be “useful” and potentially able to contribute to national prosperity and the realization of other national agendas. This notion gave birth to a new set of aspirations and new discourses on university education, research and nation-building. Indeed, it has been a complex mandate that is both daunting and ever challenging. UKM’s substantial teaching and research mandate is also a response to the imperatives of today’s innovation economy, which is recognized as the turbo-engine that can propel Malaysia towards developed nation standing by 2020. Almost jolted from its slumber, UKM finds itself wanting in addressing some pertinent inter-related issues deemed crucial for achieving such status. Undergraduate learning outcomes must not only yield a workforce that functions as sophisticated and effective thinkers, but one that is also able to reason and communicate clearly, accurately and persuasively. Graduates must be trained to work in a more complex environment because our societies are increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-national in their contexts. With better training and understanding of multiculturalism, they are expected to work and function more effectively through employment of multi-pronged approaches to suit every situation. They are required to solve problems collaboratively as our world of work and job scenarios become more interconnected, transparent and multi-tasking. UKM is expected to carry out research that can be translated into economic or social policy or into products that can improve our quality of life. On top of all these expectations, there is increasing demand for retraining and upgrading of the present workforce in the job market. In no time, UKM finds itself offering training and retooling programs in the form of continuing education, which comprises specially designed training programs for those seeking life-long learning while they work – a task few universities were familiar with a few decades back. Without doubt, UKM has come a long way since its humble beginning 40 years ago.
A Journey that Takes Five Decades The challenges for a Malaysian research university aspiring to reach “world-class” status are painfully many. Many contemporary issues have emerged to which universities throughout the world need to respond appropriately so as to become relevant and connected with their varied stakeholders. Their roles need to be redefined. Often considered inconsequential in the past, issues about funding equity, industrial and societal relevance, research commercialisation, proprietary ownership, international collaborations and networking, all have become critical today (Chapter 4). To make a notable presence among universities internationally, UKM must feature significantly among the world’s top public research universities – and soon. To back this ambition, we need to ask what outstanding characteristics the world’s best public research universities have that others do not.
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From its beginnings, UKM has drawn on diverse traditions of a public university, offering study programmes in both liberal arts and professionally- oriented disciplines. In its formative days, UKM embarked on hiring, often with great difficulty, brilliant brains trained overseas. This was done under the universal notion and tradition that westerncentric education is the best preparation for both academic and civic leadership. Education and training programs provided by the western-centric universities generally aim at producing leaders and social elites for their own somewhat mature and civil government systems. Malaysia, however, like other former colonies of the western world, must rapidly address the question of training for technocrats, professionals and other work force needed for her own economic progress. To all intents, in its early formative years at its temporary campus in Kuala Lumpur, UKM also drew on people trained in the more scientific and technologically-oriented education and training. When the university moved to its present campus in Bangi, it soon embraced graduate education, taking cognizance of the importance of new knowledge and discoveries for economic and social development. It went on to establish strong professional education in medicine, the life sciences, engineering and information technology at the postgraduate level to cater for the next generations of researchers and educators for industry, government and other universities in the country.
What Makes A World Class University? Malaysia’s Ninth Development Plan calls for the creation of a “world-class” university to cater for the needs of the country, especially in the science and technology sector. A research university in Malaysia, therefore, must play to the tune of achieving this “worldclass” status. This again prompts the same old questions: What is a “world- class” university? What are their essential characteristics? Presently, UKM needs to pause for a moment and reflect on its past achievements. How much in common does UKM share its characteristics and values with the world’s top public universities? Has it risen to the expectations of its founding nationalists, pioneers, the government and public at large? What are the constraints UKM faces in satisfying its mandates and work? To what extent has UKM met these challenges and opportunities? What other aspects need working on? These questions can be looked at by examining a list of characters often stated as missions and visions of world’s public universities and pragmatically gauging UKM’s achievements against these ambitions and attributes.
Academic Freedom The most cherished of all human rights are the rights of freedom of speech, academic freedom, and freedom of research. Throughout the world since immemorial, the best public universities have strongly and uncompromisingly held to the principle of freedom of academic inquiry. It is a unanimous cry that allows university staff and students to probe and pursue questions on all matters without fear of reprisal from anyone. The subjects of interest could be of individual or public interest and contentious or
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controversial in nature. The conclusions to the enquiries and investigations can be supportive or antagonistic to those of the policy-makers or governments and will be expressed and disseminated without fear or favour. Academic freedom helps to foster open and healthy debates on important issues from the widest possible perspectives. As a public university that receives major support and funding from the government, UKM has dedicated itself to fostering academic freedom with absolute caution and responsibility. The academic community has flourished in the pursuit of learning and scholarship under the much veiled and wisely guarded principle of academic freedom. UKM has been vigilant in protecting the individual rights of its staff and students. Its programmes of studies and research activities have been developed through resolute commitment to the principles of equal opportunity, equity and justice to all its students and staff. UKM, within its unique context as a fully-funded public university, needs to constantly affirm that academic freedom would be meaningless and counter-productive unless we embrace it with full responsibility and accountability. Academic freedom must be upheld and used to nurture responsible questioning and provide solutions on issues that matter and benefit the university and society at large.
Academic Integrity and Responsibility Academic freedom is strongly connected to academic integrity and responsibility. It entails the accountability and trustworthiness of the profession as educators and researchers. In the world of academia, much trust is placed in the students and staff to report or publish their work and findings in their most professional and honorable fashion. The generation, dissemination and application of knowledge must meet the highest standard of scholarship based on informed and reliable sources. The discoveries and conclusions must be backed by impeccable scholarly works, both methodologically and theoretically. Of late, we hear enough about academic dishonesty. Cheating in one form or another among teachers and students has made sensational news, both overseas and locally. Cases where professors have been cited for inflating exam results of their students for devious reasons, for instance, have shocked the government, parents and other stakeholders. While nationally, the rates of cheating in our universities remain low, appropriate policies must be improved and put in place to safeguard academic integrity and responsibility. The policies should cover all forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, the fabrication or falsification of data, information or citations and deception in providing false information. As the drive to get good grades and perform well in courses has become highly competitive, professional students, particularly, also resort to sabotage, preventing other competing students from doing better, in a number of despicable ways including cutting pages out of library books or willfully disrupting the experiments of others. All this cheating and unbecoming demeanour need to be seriously dealt with. Professorial misconduct can also undermine the academic integrity of a university. Some oft-heard misdemeanour on the part of the teaching staff includes improper grading of students’ papers for reasons of personal bias or favouritism. Academic
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dishonesty involving grade frauds and deliberate negligence in exchange for sexual favors have made sensational news in our society but still only on rare instances. No matter what the underlying circumstances are for teachers and students to eviscerate academic integrity, they must overcome their own conscience. It hinges on how strongly one disapproves of academic dishonesty and how one can adequately justify the act to escape a sense of guilt. Academic misconduct can seriously affect the university’s reputation because it directly interferes with the basic mission of education.
First-Rate Academic Infrastructure The best research universities are required to provide and maintain the most up-todate research infrastructure that enables staff and students to do first-rate work. They must duly recognize the importance of a high level of support for their libraries and laboratories. Accessibility and connectivity for personal communications and academic resources through use of the latest information technology facilities ought to be constantly upgraded. The student residences, classrooms, and offices are equipped with modest, but technologically “smart” and efficient communication technologies. A range of campus facilities and study spaces for students are adequately provided with computers and spaces allowing for high degree of interactivity between students and their research supervisors. In addition to improving infrastructure to maintain a conducive teaching and learning environment, UKM has embarked on providing the best research facilities for its staff and students. A diverse range of highly sophisticated and valuable research equipment is housed in dedicated locations or buildings for use of staff and students of different disciplines and departments. Such centralized research facilities or laboratories include research microscopy, genomic sequencing, herbaria and museums.
Conducive Learning Environment Top world universities take pride in the provision of highly appealing and conducive learning environments to their students. Outstanding undergraduate experiences are crucial to students. This becomes mandatory as the total student enrolment of UKM has now become one of the biggest in the country. Highly integrated communications systems, state-of-the-art teaching and learning technologies, efficient student services, and widely accessible educational and library resources are all important in building a campus climate that can offer valuable and productive experiences. They ensure a welcoming environment to students of diverse nationalities of different backgrounds and learning capabilities. In all these respects, UKM has worked especially hard to build an environment that guarantees all students equal access to campus opportunities. It offers intellectually challenging and societally relevant academic programs that enable students to acquire commonly shared learning outcomes as well as competency in particular areas of study. The programmes of study not only teach students about the subject matter of a discipline, but also its practices. Hence the acquired knowledge of medicine, economy,
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technology and law helps teach students on how to behave and to apply knowledge as medical doctors, economists, engineers and lawyers, respectively. The university involves its students in real research projects that are stimulating and challenging. Their learning programs and research projects are closely mentored and supervised, not only by the professors and faculty staff but also by senior students in the research team. UKM students are exposed to personally and intellectually rewarding experiences “beyond the lecture halls” through industry attachment programmes and involvement in green environment and community projects. All this experience helps foster in students a lifelong dedication to their alma mater.
Quality Postgraduate Education Through postgraduate programmes, the world’s top universities produce the future generations of researchers and leaders in their professions required by the government, public, industry and business sectors. In this respect, UKM’s postgraduate education is highly reputable where the number, quality, and research support made available to the students can guarantee a first-rate programme. The human resources and physical amenities for research and research training are adequate and state-of-theart. Highly qualified students are entitled to post-graduate financial support and expert supervision by renowned professors in their disciplines. Rigorous research work and training programmes are offered and accompanied by stringent qualifying procedures for graduation. UKM actively benchmarks the quality of its postgraduate programs and their students against internationally prestigious universities.
Top-Notch Teachers and Researchers A world-class university is one that possesses a large number of internationally-renowned scholars who are the voice of their professions and academic disciplines. They are not just sources of new knowledge generated through research but also communicators of knowledge. They disseminate knowledge generated, not necessarily by themselves, but by others as well, through teaching. They integrate and apply existing knowledge to advance our understanding and at the same time apply knowledge for the good of society and mankind. In other words, these scholars are not only reflectors of light produced by others but are in their own right the source of new illumination! Hence, a world-class university gains eminence from having a large pool of academicians with acclaimed research capabilities as well as a strong commitment to lead and inspire students in the pursuit of knowledge. Top universities of the world are known to recruit and retain top-notch staff in the belief that “good professors attract good students.” They pro-actively make attempts to recruit and retain people deeply committed to effective undergraduate and graduate teaching. They include professors who are both highly respected by their peers internationally and able to bring research into the lecture rooms. Academic researchers must be able to serve as role models for students in the process of discovery and lifelong learning. They are the source and inspiration from whom students learn not only the most current thinking about their fields of study but also how to apply the thoughts and knowledge in the practice of their respective professions upon graduation.
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Leadership on university campuses comes with great responsibility. Because everyone talks about academic freedom, the top leadership of a university involves personal accountability to act most of the time without guidance or directive from superior authority. Responsibility here is very much what has been written in Stephen Covey’s best-selling The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which says: “Look at the word responsibility – response- ability – the ability to choose your response.” Covey, one of the top management gurus in recent years, explains that highly proactive people consciously make their choices based on values and principles rather than on sentiments or emotions. They do not blame circumstances, conditions or habits for their actions. These attributes are important in all forms of responsibilities on campus. Be it on- or off-campus, we are living in a society where a sense of responsibility is gradually but surely eroding. Many are ever willing to fight and claim for the credit when a good job is accomplished, but fewer would own up and accept responsibility for their less successful actions. The same message that has been drummed into our school children loud and clear must be carried through to campus community – that the 3-Rs of reading, writing and arithmetic are of little use if the fourth “R” is missing – responsibility. Taking a cue from Denis Waitley, a guru on effective leadership, the two greatest gifts a leader must provide to the people that he or she works with are the “roots and wings.” Within the roots lie the core values and feelings of self-worth; and the wings grow with the acceptance of responsibility enabling the people to fly freely and act independently. The leadership on-campus must nurture at all times the development of these “roots and wings”. At the execution level, it can be assertively declared that there is no universal recipe or magic formula for putting together a world-class university. For sure, however, a strong leadership is a must. More than anything else, a committed university vice-chancellor or president with a bold vision needs to be chosen to spearhead the onslaught and overcome the challenges that lie ahead. The university’s missions and goals must be clearly articulated into a strategic plan translating the vision into concrete targets and programmes. In the dynamism and pulsating scenario of UKM, the articulation of the UKM Transformation Plan by its present Vice-Chancellor and the adoption of the Plan for execution by the entire campus community have a lot to say about the commitment of the university’s leadership.
Journey to the Top The Malaysian government has set its target for our research universities to attain world-class status by 2025 (Figure 7-2). From the key attributes of a world-class university discussed above, one can essentially sum up three sets of success factors that contribute and complement each other as prerequisites to attaining such status (Figure 8-3). They are (i) a high concentration of talents drawn from both academics and students, (ii) abundant resources to offer a rich learning environment and to conduct quality research and (iii) favourable governance that features dynamic leadership, strategic vision, innovation, and flexibility, enabling universities to make decisions and manage resources without being encumbered by bureaucracy or political inference.
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2025 World Class Research University
• • • •
APEX University Research Universities Comprehensive University Focus University
Continuous improvement; audited every 3 years
Malaysian RU(2010) Comprehensive University / Focus University
2006
Goal of Being a WC Research University is Realistic
Malaysia Research University
TIME
2010
2011
2013
2016
2020
2025
Figure 7-2: Higher education transformation model for Malaysian universities
Concentration of talent
Students Teaching staff Researchers Internationalization
Graduates
Research Output WCU
Abundant resources
Public budget resources Endowment revenues Tuition fees Research grants
Technology transfer
Supportive regulatory framework Favorable Autonomy Academic freedom governance
Leadership team Strategic vision Culture of excellence
Figure 7-3: Characteristics of a world-class university: Key Factors
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In the past, the role of government in nurturing the growth of world-class universities has not been seen as a critical factor. In fact, most acknowledged world-class universities in the world have charted their way to the top without being primarily aided by their governments. The Ivy League universities in the United States, for instance, by and large grew to prominence as a result of incremental progress with the support of the landowning class, from which it drew its students, rather than by deliberate government intervention. Similarly, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge evolved over the centuries under the supervision of the wealthy Church, with little public funding. Regardless, they all have made it to the top with absolute autonomy in terms of governance. They are allowed to define their own visions and proceed in their chosen path and direction. Today, however, it is doubtful that a massified world-class university can be rapidly created unaided by the government. Appropriate incentives and encouragement are necessary. The process needs to be accelerated through the creation of favourable policy environment that are conducive to both the university and industry. The high cost of setting up a research university today also necessitates direct government support and other public initiatives. The Malaysian Government is aware of the important contribution world-class universities can make to increase global competitiveness and economic growth. It recognizes the need to quickly establish one or more world-class universities of its own that can compete effectively with the best of the bests around the world. Contextualizing a world-class university is easy, but building and bringing it to reality is challenging as high costs and risks are inevitably involved. The government has three options. It can consider upgrading a small number of existing public universities that have the potential of excelling in training and research, then encourage and support them to target world-class status. Alternatively, saving the problems of having to pick the winners of government favour, the government may opt to merge and transform a few existing universities, consolidate and harness their respective strengths and synergize each other towards world-class standards. The third option is to create new world-class universities from scratch. Such a clean-slate approach, however, tends to be fraught with risks ranging from lack of academic culture and experience, immature and inexperienced governance to the long incubation period necessary to build and establish its own credibility and initial lack of trust from industry, research funders and other stakeholders. The MOHE wisely has chosen the first option and has received rousing approvals all round, on- and off-campus.
Roles of the University Universities that aspire to improve and incrementally reach the status of world-class must constantly engage in objective assessments of their strengths and areas for improvement. World-class status will continue to elude many universities that are complacent in their outlook and continue to operate and function as they have in the
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past. As performance gaps widen, such universities will end up lagging behind their national and international competitors. Additionally, the transformation leading to the world-class standard cannot take place with total reliance on the university’s teaching and research activities on-campus, day in day out (Figure 7-4). A long-term vision requires that the university remain connected and aware of the overall economic and social development of the country. The university’s transition implementation plan must be closely articulated with the ongoing changes and reforms carried out by the government at the lower levels of the education system. More importantly, the university must continue to share expertise and experience in building an integrated system of teaching, learning and research with other universities also aspiring to become world-class. They need to persuasively argue for and claim their important roles as the engine that drives growth in an innovation economy. They have to continue drawing striking parallels to the other newly emerging nations in the region like China, India and South Korea that have followed similar innovation paths.
Supra CoE Global Linkage
HiCoE
Acculturation of RU Agenda Collaboration between RUs and non-RUs to level up and enhance number of RUs
Revenue
RU TRANSFORMATION PLAN *World Class *Innovative *Entrepreneurial
Publications
Human Resource
Grant Outputs
Enhance RU as WC Educational Hub • Global Positioning •Enhanced brain gain with international talent to Malaysia •Reduce brain drain •Enhanced talent to industry Enhance RU as WC
Educational Hub for the Leverage Wealth • Global Positioning Country • Enhanced brain gain with •Enhanced public-private international talent to Malaysia partnerships • Reduce brain drain • Enhanced talent to industry •Establish Blue Ocean / niche industries Leverage Wealth for the Country • Enhanced public-private •Create new business partnership opportunities / Industries • Establish Blue Ocean/ niche •Transfer discoveries to industries consolidate existing • Create new business opportunities/ Indestries industries / stay • Transfer discoveries to consolidate competitive existing industries/ stay competitive
Enhancing Quality of Life Enhancing Quality of Life •Transfer • Transferknowledge knowledge & & innovations innovations empower to empower to communities communities
Phase 1 : Laying the Foundation
Phase 2 : Consolidating towards World Class Investment of RM 1.87b
2007 - 2013
Phase 3:
Transforming to World Class
ROI: 10.78 b (EPP)
2014 - 2020
Figure 7-4: Malaysian research universities transformation plan and benefits to society and nation
UKM on Track to World-Class In April 2013, a new top 100 university ranking known as Asia University Ranking has been published to focus on the performance of universities in Asia. The initiative is put together by Times Higher Education (THE), the same organization that publishes the World University Rankings. A total of 655 universities submit information and data to be
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assessed for this purpose. Besides the economic superpower countries in East Asia, the ranking also includes universities from the Middle East, South Asia and Turkey. Out of the top 100, an impressive number of 22 Japanese institutions are featured in the list with the University of Tokyo taking the number one spot. This is followed by Taiwan with 17 universities, China with 15 and 14 in South Korea. A total of thirteen separate performance indicators are used but the aggregate scores in the following areas serve as the major determinants of the ultimate ranking placements: • Teaching (30% of overall score), measuring the quality of a university’s learning environment. • Research (30% of the overall score), measuring a university’s reputation for research excellence as well as its research income and volume of research output. • Citations (30% of the overall score), measuring a university’s research influence by the number of times its published work is cited by scholars globally. • Industry Income (2.5% of the overall score), measuring a university’s ability to bring to industry innovations, inventions, and consultancy. • International Outlook (7.5% of the overall score), measuring a university’s campus diversity and the degree to which academics collaborate with international colleagues on research projects. In the 2013 THE Asia University Ranking, the UKM is the only Malaysian university included in the top 100. It is ranked in joint 87th place with the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. This is not the only attainment where UKM has been the only Malaysian university included in similar ranking exercises. In June 2012, UKM made to the top 100 list of THE ranking for world universities that have been in existence for 50 years or below. Worldwide, UKM is ranked 98th among universities in such category. The UKM is in high spirits with its performance against several targets it sets out to achieve as a research university which include achieving excellence in research, teaching and learning. It has performed well across all areas appraised and scored. In research excellence, UKM is extremely proud of the fact that it continues to chart marked improvement in terms of the citation components of the annual Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the QS World University Rankings. In innovations and commercialisation of research, UKM has also exhibited a steady uphill trend. These variables clearly reflect the high quality of research output produced by UKM researchers. It also continues to perform well when it comes to competing for funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).The university's focus on research does not come at the cost of teaching and learning as evident from the popularity of its teaching programmes among both local and foreign students. The university also ranks well in ensuring outstanding campus environments and contributing effectively to the national good through both intellectual and community participation of its academics and students. The standing of UKM in the Asia University Rankings affirms its world-class education quality and strong academic foundation. This underscores not only the superior quality of UKM as an academic institution but overall outstanding value of our country’s tertiary institutions. It bodes well for Malaysia’s vision to become a centre for education in the region. It shall continue to serve as a fertile ground for the pursuit
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of quality research and higher learning. The high employability of its graduates serves as a dominant pull factor and a major talent hub in the region. The quality education produces quality graduates who eventually join our nation’s workforce. The intellectual and professional qualities of talents are crucial for the growth and development of our homegrown professionals, managers, and executives. In the long run, UKM can serve as a benchmark for other universities in the country to explore new opportunities for our social and economic advancement.
Beware of Collateral Damage As Malaysia pursues its vision of establishing world-class universities, caution must be duly exercised to avoid possible pitfalls and downsides. The government should not be so over-zealous in this pursuit that efforts to build excellent alternative institutions of higher learning in the country dwindle. Besides the prospective world-class research universities, other learning institutions also need to be constantly improved to meet the country’s wide range of education and training needs. They confer job competencies and trade skills not within the purview of research universities. In a developing country like Malaysia, it has been argued that the learning outcomes from our education systems should not be confined to outstanding results from those who have qualified and pursued tertiary education in high-ranking universities. Increasingly, the effectiveness of our education systems is based on our ability to address the learning needs of a diverse population of students of different learning capabilities and interests. Our pre-occupation with achieving world-class status for our universities should not be allowed to distract our attention from the equally pressing issues of providing education to those will not receive a university education. At the same time, we must be cautious in placing too much emphasis on the potential contributions of a Malaysian world-class research university to our economic growth and social development through research and innovation. More often than not, this expectation tends to over-statement. The build-up of expectations for useful innovations from university research unnecessarily puts pressures behind the push for world-class status. It is in reality an over-dramatization of the value and importance of world-class institutions. Even in countries that are far more advanced and industrialised than Malaysia, the benefits from high-quality university research has been overall sluggish, at least in the short term. Research results have been applied and have conferred benefits in only certain rapidly expanding areas. It must be said that generally the hype surrounding world-class institutions far exceeds the benefits to be derived from their establishment. World-class research universities require huge financial commitments, a high concentration of exceptionally intelligent human capital, and governance policies that can incentivize and attract top-notch teaching and research staff. Our obsession with world-class status may result in unfair resource allocation patterns within Malaysia’s tertiary education systems. With increased funding dished out to research universities, the share of the economic pie for undergraduate teaching universities, polytechnics and professional training colleges of support professionals like nursing, technicians, and
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paramedics, is bound to proportionately decrease. A question may be asked whether Malaysia would be better served to initially focus on developing excellent public universities to suit our own national standards driven by our own market forces and local needs instead of directing our lofty aim at attaining elusive world-class status. This way, it would not be too financially draining to our national development budget. More fundamental tertiary education facilities can be improved. More institutions that emphasize diverse learning and training needs of the domestic student population and economy can be built. Arguably, focusing efforts on the improvement of local education systems to suit our local demands and standards can lead to more effective and sustainable development. Perhaps the benefits would outweigh that of the broader world-class aspirations. Regardless, these national universities and institutions will inevitably evolve into world-class standards as they will be increasingly subject to our own comparisons and rankings. Those deemed to be the best in the national rankings of research universities will surely be considered to be among the very best in the world.
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Selected Reading Innovation Economy Systems of Innovation.1997, Edquist, C., Frances Pinter. Innovation and Employment. 2003, Edquist, C., Hommen, L. and McKelvey, M. Edward Elgar. New Perspectives on Economic Growth and Technological Innovation. 1999 Scherer, F., Brookings Institution. Innovation and Incentives. 2004, Scotchmer, S., MIT Press. The Economics of Technological Diffusion.2002, Stoneman, P. Blackwell Publishers. The Sources of Innovation. 1988, Von Hippel, E. Oxford University Press.
Intellectual Property and Patents Managing University Intellectual Property in the Public Interest. 2010, Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP) Committee on Science, Technology, and Law (CSTL). Reaping the Benefits of Genomic and Proteomic Research: Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation, and Public Health. 2006, Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in Genomic and Protein Research and Innovation, National Research Council Patents in the Knowledge-Based Economy. 2003, Wesley M. Cohen and Stephen A. Merrill, Editors, Committee on Intellectual Property Rights in the Knowledge- Based Economy, National Research Council. 21st Century Innovation Systems for Japan and the United States: Lessons from a Decade of Change: Report of a Symposium. 2009, Committee on Comparative Innovation Policy: Best Practice for the 21st Century; SadaoNagaoka, Masayuki Kondo, Kenneth Flamm, and Charles Wessner, Editors; National Research Council. The Impact of Academic Research on Industrial Performance. 2003, Committee on the Impact of Academic Research on Industrial Performance, National Academy of Engineering.
University-Industry Collaboration Overcoming Barriers to Collaborative Research: Report of a Workshop. 1999, Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable. Examining Core Elements of International Research Collaboration: Summary of a Workshop. 2011; Planning Committee for the Workshop on Examining Core Elements of International Collaboration; Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable; Policy and Global Affairs; National Academy of Sciences.
Interdisciplinary Research Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research .2004, Committee on Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine
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Humanities and Social Sciences A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences.2012, Gary Goertz & James Mahoney. Princeton University Press Universities in Transition: The Changing Role and Challenges for Academic Institutions. Series: Insight and Innovation in International Development, Göransson, Bo; Brundenius, Claes (Eds.) Giants among us. First generation college graduates who lead activist lives. Sandra Rodriguez. American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges. Philip G. Altbach (Editor) The Great American University: Its Rise to Preeminence, Its Indispensable National Role, Why It Must Be Protected. Patricia J. Gumport (Editor), Robert O. Berdahl (Editor) Citizenship and Higher Education: The Role of Universities in Communities and Society. James Arthur, Karen E. Bohlin
World-class universities The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities. Directions in Development: Human Development.The World Bank Report. Jamil Salmi
Appendix 1 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of a Research University SECTION A: Quantity and Quality of Researchers 1. Critical Mass Total number of academic staff involved as principal investigator of research grants 2.
PhD Qualification or Equivalent Total number of staff with PhD/DSc, DEng Total number of staff with Professional Qualifications (such as medical professionals, engineers, architects, accountants)
3.
Research Experience of staff members a) >20 years experience b) 10 – 20 years experience c) <10 years experience
4.
Recognitions/awards/ stewardship conferred by national and international learned and professional bodies. a) Total number of awards conferred by national bodies b) Total number of awards conferred by international bodies
SECTION B: Quantity and Quality of Research 1. Publications a) Total number of publications in citation-indexed journals including refereed proceedings b) Cumulative impact factor of publications c) Total number of publications in non-citation-indexed journals d) Total number of books authored e) Total number of chapters in books f) Other publications that have created an impact on government/society/policy (abstracts, articles in magazines, newsletter – not including unpublished reports) 2. Research grants for academic staff a) Total amount of public funding (from government agencies) b) Total amount of private funding (including contract research) c) Total amount of international funding 3. Research expenditure for each project a) Total amount of research grants received b) Total amount of research grants spentw
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4. Post-doctoral appointments a) Number of Post-docs appointed (Local) b) Number of Post-docs appointed (International) SECTION C: Quantity of Postgraduates 1. Doctoral Degrees a) Number of PhD candidates graduated Total number per year Ratio of PhDs graduated to academic staff b) Number of PhD candidates enrolled Total number per year Ratio of PhD enrolled to academic staff 2. Masters Degrees a) Number of Masters candidates graduated Total number per year Ratio of Masters candidates graduated to academic staff b) Number of Masters candidates enrolled Total number per year Ratio of Masters candidates enrolled to academic staff SECTION D: Quality of Postgraduates 1. Entry qualification at Bachelor level a) Percentage of postgraduate intake with CGPA 3.0 and above b) Fellowship/grants awarded to postgraduates via research mode SECTION E: Additional Info
a) b) c) d) e)
Ratio of postgraduate to academic staff Percentage of International postgraduate students Percentage of staff as principal investigator Number of Staff with PhD Publication/Staff Ratio
SECTION F: Innovation 1. Patents a) Total number of patents granted- International/Local b) Total number of patents pending- International/Local 2. Technology licensing a) Total number of technology licensing agreements 3. IPR/copyrights a) Total number of IPR/copyrights 4. Research Commercialisation a) Total number of products licensed for commercialisation b) Number of start-up companies
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SECTION G: Professional Services 1. Income generated from training courses a) Total number of training courses b) Total income generated 2. Income generated from consultancy and contract research a) Total number of consultancy and contract research b) Total income generated 3. Endowment (including professorial chairs) a) Total number of endowment and Chairs b) Total amount raised 4. Gifts (e.g. money, equipment, research materials) a) Total number of gifts b) Total amount received SECTION H: Networking and Linkages 1. International Institution participation in research related activities a) Total number of MOUs signed b) Total number of program implemented under each MOU c) Total number of staff involved in joint research project d) Total number of international students participating in undergraduate/ postgraduate/ exchange programs. e) Total number of students sent abroad for training f) Total number of staff sent abroad for training 2. Membership in International bodies/ associations a) Total number of membership in international bodies/associations b) Total number of staff appointed as leader/ committee for international bodies/ associations 3. International projects a) Total number of staff secured international projects (research/ training/ consultancy) b) Total number of staff involved as project leader c) Total amount of international grants secured 4. International award/ fellowship/scholarship a) Total number of staff awarded international fellowship/scholarship b) Total number of staff accepted as members in professional bodies/ associations c) Total number of staff appointed to chairmanship/committee position in professional bodies/associations at international level 5. National inter-Institution participation a) Total number of MOUs signed (with government/private agencies/industries) b) Total number of program implemented under each MOU 6. Memberships in professional bodies at national level a) Total number of staff accepted as member in professional bodies/associations b) Total number of staff appointed to chairmanship/committee position in professional bodies/associations
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7. National projects a) Total number of staff involved in joint research projects b) Total number of postgraduates participating in exchange programmes c) Total number of students sent for training d) Total number of staff sent for training 8. National award/ fellowship/scholarship a) Total number of staff awarded national fellowship/scholarship SECTION I: Support Facilities 1. Equipment accreditation, fully operational and calibrated or physical facilities that meet safety and quality standards a) Total number of equipment accredited, fully operational and calibrated or physical facilities that meet safety and quality standards 2. Library facilities a) Total number of books/titles b) Total number of journal titles c) Total number of online books/journal titles 3. Supporting facilities including networking and shared facilities service centre or recreational centre access to high end research facilities a) Total number of supporting facilities
Central Editorial Committee Prof. Dato’ Dr. Rahmah Mohamed Prof Dato’ Dr Mohammed Noor Embi Prof. Dr. Che Hassan Che Haron Prof. Dr. Ghazally Ismail Members Prof. Dr. Ismanizan Ismail Muhamad Nasir Raki Ramli Abdullah Normah Dolah Mohd Heesyamuddin Khairuddin Mohd Hashrifa Hashim Tengku Nor Kirana Tengku Y.M Anuar Mohd Fadzly Ariffin Siti Noraida So’od Mohamad Shahril Hussain Norasmah Mohamad Maselan Syafura Abdul Halim Dahliya Abdul Kadir Azrizal Mohamed Zin Nurul Ashikin Zainurdin
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