KUCHING: The University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Innovation & Technology Exposition 2018 (InTEX18) saw four Memoranda of Understandings (MoU), one Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and three commercialisation agreements exchanged between the university with various industry partners.
The MoUs were signed between UNIMAS and Fusionex International, Global China Centre (GCC), Telkom University, Indonesia and Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd whereas the MoA was between UNIMAS and World Wildlife Fund, Malaysia.
The commercialisation licensing agreements were exchanged between UNIMAS and FAME International Mobile Technology Sdn Bhd, Koperasi Belia Belaga Berhad and Mariadra Beauties Sdn Bhd. InTEX18 was held from 17 July until 18 July 2018 at Pullman Hotel which attracted 200 participants from UNIMAS, external universities and the industries.
Speaking during the InTEX18 dinner on Wednesday night, the Director General of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education Malaysia Datin Paduka Ir. Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said that Malaysian universities have been urged to exploit the potential opportunities brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) with much responsibility and wisdom.
“It is imperative that Malaysian universities embrace innovation as it is a key element in Industry 4.0,” she said. She added that the government has been using innovation to lead the paradigm shift in managing the way they operate. “Emerging technologies are not only disrupting the status quo, they are altering existing pre-conceptions and creating a future of unknowns.
“Twelve years ago, when Twitter was first launched and Grab technologies did not yet exist, few could have imagined today’s constantly connected and endlessly interconnected world, where majority of the population use mobile Internet on a daily basis,” she said.
She pointed out that disruptive innovation was longer limited to technology-related sectors but have increasingly led by manufacturing, retailing, transportation and construction sectors. “Additionally, creativity and social skills are becoming more important and more valuable than ever before. “In that sense, technology has become a language, which individuals must master from their early age. “We are experiencing digital disruptions in the way we live and work.
Therefore, we need to be ready for Industry 4.0,” she stressed. Meanwhile, UNIMAS’ vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said that one of the key initiatives towards Industry 4.0 was the establishment of expositions such as InTEX18 to assemble research minds from the university and collaborators for the purpose of exploring new ideas and initiatives that would benefit all.
