By GERALD LAWSON
SIBU: Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and loT Institute (MARii) and University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) have inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) towards collaboration in research and development in energy efficiency and bridging human capital development at all levels between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
UCTS was represented by its vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Khairuddin Ab Hamid while MARii was represented by its CEO Dato Madani Sahari at the signing ceremony held at UCTS here yesterday.
The MoA solidifies the commitment of both parties to conduct research and development in areas focusing on automotive and overall mobility applications for Sarawak.
It aims to increase and enhance the automotive talent and expert pool within Sarawak through cross-exchange of post graduate research in areas relevant to the automotive industry.
Another objective is to increase the critical mass of undergraduates and graduates in Sarawak, equipped with automotive-ready knowledge and skills through programmes conducted by MARii.
“The agreement is a milestone in optimising the utilisation of expertise and facilities of all stakeholders within the Malaysian automotive fraternity.
“The inclusion of UCTS in MARii’s extensive network creates an important strategic connection in bridging automotive technology and human capital development throughout the national economic landscape,” explained Madani.
“Through the agreement, MARii and UCTS will collaborate in research and development (R&D) programmes towards the development of applications within the automotive and overall mobility sectors, including the application of robotics and loT.
“These projects are expected to also generate spin-off technology that can be applied to other sectors within Sarawak, such as smart plantations, tourism analytics, forest monitoring, and swamp assessment.
“The MoA kicks off with the immediate collaboration on the development of Malaysia Driving Cycle Phase Ill for the state,” he said.
“UCTS, on the other hand is committed to provide world-class educational programs and technical learning with the aim of producing global enterprising professionals who will explore and develop technology for the benefit of the nation and mankind.
“The completion of the MDC data collection throughout Malaysia will enable more accurate decision making and policy formulation in making Malaysia an EEV hub for the region, in line with the National Automotive Policy (NAP),” Madani added.
“We are very grateful indeed to MARii for their trust and confidence in UCTS to conduct the research on Malaysian Driving Cycle. UCTS will be the centre for such research in Sarawak. This is another great achievement for UCTS as a TVET university to be part and at the forefront of an important research that will contribute to the innovative progress of the automotive industry and Industrial Revolution 4.0 in Malaysia,” said Khairuddin.
MARii and UCTS will also collaborate on research and development (R&D) and the exchange of expertise in developing a larger talent pool of automotive expertise and talent, to enhance the competitiveness of the automotive industry in line with the NAP as well as the National Policy on Industry 4.0 (Industry4WRD).
Through the MARii-UCTS MoA, the two parties will work together to establish research projects in collaboration with industry players through post graduate scholarship programmes under the UCTS Center of Excellence.
“The Joint Postgraduate scholarship will indirectly improve the number of Master students in Engineering.
“The Joint scholarship not only provides opportunity for students to pursue their studies at a higher level but also expose them to the real world, create networking and provide value added to their qualification and indirectly will contribute to graduate employability and relevance to the industry,” added Khairuddin.
