According to a recent press release issued by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement signing ceremony was held between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and CCM Duopharma Biotech Berhad.
The signing was held at the Senate Hall at the UTM campus in Johor Bahru.
The agreement was signed by the university’s Vice-Chancellor on behalf of UTM while the CCM was represented by its Group Managing Director and accompanied by Chief Technical Officer. P
A professor from UTM stated in his speech that UTM is a leading innovation-driven entrepreneurial research university in engineering science and technology.
He noted that, therefore, UTM now seeks to collaborate with key leading industrial partners under a “Partnership with Industry” programme. In addition, he acknowledged that the biotechnology firm is a leading pharmaceutical company in Malaysia.
The signing of the MoU shows the support of the industry towards the development of research programs at local universities. This collaboration also represents the determination of two parties in support of the government’s efforts in building Malaysia into a developed nation by the year 2020, through strategic planning and systematic in enhancing the pharmaceutical services delivery through research, development, and innovation.
The professor stated that it was important to note that the collaboration provides an opportunity for both sides to implement staff exchange and research programs as well as the use of laboratory facilities.
The university’s representatives for the event hope that the signing of the MoU will be a starting point for future partnerships in the sharing of expertise, in particular, to boost research activities in the country.
The ceremony was also attended by various high-ranking individuals from several different governmental agencies, institutes of higher learning and research facilities.
But how does this collaboration contribute to the Malaysian government’s vision of a developed nation?
To begin with, it is important to understand the goals laid out in the Malaysian Smart City initiatives. Namely, to develop an overall framework (blueprint) for smart cities development in Malaysia and to create references for all implementing agencies and stakeholders to guide and to ensure a systematic implementation of smart city development in Malaysia.
Moreover, one of the objectives in the manifesto is to establish policies, strategies and action plan base on urban categories with reference to the national urbanisation policy.
This can be done by focusing on five areas that will enable public service to be more efficient and productive:
- Capitalising on local authorities for quality services at the local level;
- Rationalising public sector institutions for greater productivity and performance;
- Enhancing project management for better and faster outcomes;
- Strengthening talent management for the public service of the future; and
- Enhancing service delivery with the citizens at the centre
The Smart City manifesto for Malaysia also emphasises the importance of creating and investing in an educated population. That is, with the aim being to improves the urban people way of life, high human capital, (knowledge workers), high human development index, people highly flexible and resilient to the changing circumstances.
Simply put, part of the Smart City manifesto of Malaysia is aimed at helping to equip the population of Malaysia (particularly students and young professionals) with the technological know-how they need to, in turn, contribute to the country.
As reported earlier, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) director of talent stated that the corporation is an entity with a mandate to attract investments into the country.
Potential investors are asking whether the nation has sufficient talent. They want to know whether it will be easy to hire and if there will be an adequate workforce.
MDEC is the nation’s lead agency in driving the digital economy. It is tasked with creating a vibrant environment for the economy to thrive and ensure that the country plays a key role in its revolution.
To produce top graduates in digital technology, MDEC and the Education Ministry have awarded a recognition status to selected higher-learning institutions called Premier Digital Tech Universities (PDTUs) and Preferred Digital Tech Polytechnics (PDTPs).
This along with the aforementioned MoU are all steps in the right direction to help Malaysia achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020.
