UKM Launches Six Initiatives To Strengthen Research, Innovation Ecosystem

BANGI, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has launched six strategic initiatives to strengthen its research and innovation ecosystem, expand industry collaboration and increase the commercialisation potential of research findings.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Chang Lih Kang said the initiatives comprised UKM Technology Launch, the UKMESG platform, the UKM TechBridge System, the University Research Group (KPU) Research and Innovation Mentorship Programme, three publications under the Gegar Gamat Pemacu Perubahan (GGPP) series, and the MyKPU University Research Group Assessment System.

He said UKM Technology Launch provided a platform for researchers to showcase their innovations to industry players, investors and strategic partners, while UKMESG supported the application of academic expertise and technology in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

“These initiatives complement UKM’s efforts to develop a more integrated research and innovation ecosystem, from expertise development to technology transfer and commercialisation,” he said when launching the UKM Innovation Festival 2026 (InnoFest 2026) and UKM Research Month here today.

Chang said the initiatives were important to ensure research findings were relevant to market needs and could benefit end users.

“Industry involvement from the early stages of research is crucial to ensure that the outcomes meet the needs of the market and society,” he said.

He said Malaysia had high-quality researchers and extensive expertise, but the main challenge was ensuring that research findings reached end users through university-industry collaboration, a stronger culture of commercialisation and technology entrepreneurship, and wider opportunities for young researchers.

Chang also welcomed programmes such as InnoFest 2026, which he said could foster a sustained research culture through knowledge sharing, research exhibitions, collaboration networks and community engagement.

Meanwhile, UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Sufian Jusoh said the university had launched 10 strategic innovation products developed through its research to expand the commercialisation potential of local technologies and bridge the gap between laboratory research and the commercial market.

He said the initiative brought together researchers from across the university, industry partners, government-linked companies (GLCs), investors and funding providers.

“Synergy between research development, the strengthening of research groups and the commercialisation of innovations is expected to build a more integrated and competitive research ecosystem at UKM, with a meaningful impact on society and the country,” he said.

The 10 products launched were Fuci Birdnest Coffee, Air Quality Monitoring System (AirboxSense), Lung Xray, Halastin, Gynulin, ParafitGo, Peritocare 2.0, Novel Modified UKM Internal Bracing (MUIB), AquaTech UltraFlow and Sahal Step.

They cover various fields, including biotechnology-based beverages, air quality monitoring, medical technology, patient rehabilitation, portable water filtration and educational games for learning Arabic.

Sufian said three key initiatives - GGPP, the University Research Group Research and Innovation Mentorship Programme (MentorKPU), and MyKPU - would support knowledge development, the continuity of expertise and stronger research performance management at UKM.

In addition to the product launches, InnoFest 2026 features an exhibition showcasing companies and technologies from various fields.

Sufian said the exhibition provided researchers, companies, industry players and potential strategic partners with opportunities to explore technologies, discuss market needs and identify collaboration and commercialisation prospects.

He encouraged industry partners and investors to explore the technologies, expertise and intellectual property developed by UKM researchers, while building closer ties with the university from the initial identification of problems and development of solutions to exploring potential applications that address current industry challenges.

-- BERNAMA