Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) Technopreneur @ UniMAP Sdn. Bhd. (TUSB), a centre managing all contract research and related activities at the university, recently received a total of RM500,000 in industry research grant. The year-long grant, contributed by PENS Industries Sdn Bhd, covers research on drone technology, material characterisation and alternative materials. The grant was awarded to UniMAP in a meeting between PENS Industries Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Ridzuan Ishak and UniMAP Vice-Chancellor, Dato’ Prof. Dr. Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal on 14 May 2019.
Zul Azhar stated that the grant will assist UniMAP in ensuring that more industry-based research can be done to impact community and industry. “Research such as these have high impact value as they are being conducted based on real industry and community issues. For instance, the grant received from PENS Industries Sdn Bhd will focus on research on its key focus, which is quarry resources. UniMAP too will benefit greatly as the study will involve more than one discipline and involves an impact study on future technologies”.
“TUSB’s initiatives in securing grants such as this are aligned to Malaysia’s Ministry of Education emphasis on innovation, as universities strive towards increasing commercialisation of research and development activities”, he further added. Although UniMAP and PENS Industries have worked together previously on various activities, such as lab testing, research, and student industrial training, this is the first time that the university receives a grant from PENS Industries. Ridzuan hopes that the grant will be utilised to the full to help unearth new prospects for PENS Industries, who to date, relies heavily on the quarry industry. “Against a not very encouraging global economic development, PENS Industries need to find alternative or new resources for commercialisation”.
Also present in the meeting was the Chair of TUSB, Datuk Wira Prof. Dr. Salleh Hj. Din and researchers who will be working on the projects – Prof. Dr. Hazry Desa, Assoc Prof Dr. Nik Noriman Zulkepli dan Muhammad Azizi Azizan.