Universiti Malaya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an American computer hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company recently to invest in the university to gain access to expertise and research opportunities through knowledge exchange over the next five years. This collaboration reinforces Academia-Industry partnerships that aim to promote, support, transform communities and catalyse change in the current-day world of technology.
The event was held at the firm’s Kuala Lumpur Center of Excellence located in Petaling Jaya. The signing ceremony was attended by the Director-General of the Ministry of Higher Education; the Director of Community and Industry Collaboration Division in the Department of Higher Education; and the Director of Advanced Technology and R&D Division from the Malaysian Investment and Development Authority (MIDA).
The VP and Managing Director of the firm’s Tech and Regional Center noted that this strategic industry-university collaboration is a vital component of the innovation process, providing a myriad of benefits to both the university and Western Digital.
Academics will be provided with valuable industry-related expertise, their research will be enabled so that they can obtain tangible impacts and gain access to new skills, data or equipment. In addition to enabling university students to gain valuable exposure to the industry, benefits will also be obtained in the form of improved business performance through collaboration with the students in developing new techniques or technologies, gaining access to new graduate talent and utilising the university’s cutting-edge resources.
Universiti Malaya’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International) stated that as Malaysia’s premier university, UM continues to lead on multiple fronts and capitalise on its many talents and strength to forge new collaborations, partnerships and engagements with local and global industries to ensure that remain at the leading edge.
Enabling digital transformation is a top priority for the Malaysian Government. Malaysia has defined the digital economy as economic and social activities that involve the production and use of digital technology by individuals, businesses and government.
This definition was formalised via research, analysis and mutual engagement among major stakeholders in the public and private sectors. Among the research referred to include those from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the G20 and the governments of Australia and Canada.
The digital economy is an outcome of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) as a result of the widespread adoption of digital technology. According to the World Economic Forum, 4IR involves a combination of various technologies that increasingly combine the physical, digital and biological domains.
4IR also presents significant changes in the economy, similar to the previous industrial revolution. The changes being undergone currently are rapid and unprecedented and have affected almost every industry in the world; transforming the modes of production, management and administration. The surge in the adoption of digital technology from 4IR and the integration of data will accelerate the growth of the digital economy.
To aid the transition into 4IR in Malaysia, the Government developed the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) initiative which reflects the Government’s aspiration to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation that is focused on digitalisation and is a regional pioneer in the digital economy.
MyDIGITAL frameworks efforts and initiatives were taken to fulfil the myDIGITAL aspiration. This blueprint will determine the trajectory of the digital economy’s contributions to the Malaysian economy and builds the foundation to drive digitalisation nationwide, including bridging the digital divide.
