It is increasingly recognised that innovation, underpinned by science and technology, is a major key to any country’s economic prosperity and social wellbeing. Countries that spend less on research and development (R&D;) risk being relegated to the fringes of development.
Global investment in R&D; reached a reported RM3.3 trillion in 2010. In addition to traditional heavyweights like the United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea, large R&D; investments are being made by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore as well as the developing giants of Brazil, China and India.
Malaysia is aware of the impact of R&D; on economic prosperity. To reach new heights, the country now needs to expand its economic base beyond commodities to high-tech knowledge-intensive sciences, such as biotechnology and nanotechnology.
The government’s New Economic Model, with the Economic and Government Transformation Programmes introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak two years ago, needs to be complemented and sustained by an infusion of science and technology, which will come in large measure from our universities and research institutes.
This will be supported by research linkages with established R&D; institutions in developed countries. For instance, Najib recently launched the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIT) located at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia KL.
MJIT offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in engineering, and cultivates Japanese style engineering and technology-based education among its students.
It also offers opportunities to undertake studies or research in Japanese organisations, through its support from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the Malaysian government, the Japanese University Consortium (JUC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“At the heart of MJIT is a commitment to providing affordable, accessible, Japanese-style education in a Malaysian setting while creating a cutting-edge hub for R&D;, and the institute’s strong industry links, both here and in Japan, make it ideally placed to to that,” Najib said at the launch.
According to a statement by UTM, the government of Malaysia has pledged RM793 million, which includes a RM250 million loan from Japan for laboratory equipment.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Malaysia’s higher education sector has grown tremendously in the past decade and the country is fast becoming an educational hub for excellence in Southeast Asia.
We are already the world’s 11th largest exporter of educational services, with over 90,000 international students from over 100 nations studying at its schools, colleges, university colleges and universities.
This has been achieved due to the Government’s dedicated efforts in strengthening competitiveness and championing Malaysia’s international education brand in its roadmap to becoming a high-income nation by 2020.
The Higher Education Ministry has emphasised the need for local universities to conduct high-impact research that is also commercially viable.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said: “We will need to build a hub where we can retain local students, build a regional reputation by providing access to high–quality education and training for both international and domestic student markets and thereby create a knowledge-based economy.”
For 2011, the Ministry set a target of attracting 85,000 international students to the growing number of private education institutions, but it has surpassed this target by achieving a 93,000 international student enrolment rate.
One of the big successes for Malaysia was the entrance of internationally acclaimed universities through the EduCity@Iskandar. A total of eight international universities namely Curtin University Sarawak, Monash University Malaysia, Nottingham University Malaysia, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Newcastle University of Medicine, University of Southampton Malaysia Campus, Raffles University and Netherland Maritime Institute of Technology have set up their campus there.
“As we transition to becoming a high-income economy, the creation of knowledge becomes vital. These universities create access to competitive education programmes for both the local and international student population and a pathway to promote knowledge transfer and create a knowledge generation to drive economic sustainability,” Mohamed Khaled said.
The thrust towards an innovation-led economy has also brought on the need for high-impact research and the implementation of commercially–viable research and development initiatives by local universities.
Through collaboration with industry players, the Ministry surpassed its revenue target of RM10 million, generating RM61.8 million in 2011. For 2012, the Minister has set a target to achieve RM30 million for the total income generated from R&D; commercialised products.
With this roadmap in place, the Government has ensured that Malaysia will play an increasingly important role in research and innovation in the decades to come.