Research Collaboration in Response to Globalisation- The UM Experience?

Ghauth JasmonVice Chancellor

University of Malaya

University of Malaya, or UM, Malaysia's premier university,is situated on a 750 acre (309 hectare) campus in thesouthwest of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It wasestablished in April 1949 in Singapore with the merging of theKing Edward VII College of Medicine (founded in 1905) andRaffles College (founded in 1928). The University of Malayaderives its name from the term 'Malaya' as the country wasthen known. The University comprises of 12 faculties, 6institutes, 2 academies and 5 centres.

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Collaboration or Competition

Healthy Competition Will Produce Quality Research Output and Speed Up Solutions to Problems

Collaboration Will Ensure Greater Productivity, Sustainability and Cost Effectiveness

University Ranking and Global Competition

University Ranking have intensified Global Competition among TOP institutions

Universities are judged by their Research Performance, Production of Quality Graduates, Attracting Quality Faculties

Increased Investments in Research Universities Better University Leadership Growth of Financial Resources/Endowments Smarter Partnerships in Asia – Shift in Priority

Benefits of Global or Regional Cooperation

Ensure Cost Effectiveness by Sharing of Physical Resources and Human Capital

Greater International Understanding, Peace and Harmony

Development of Global Graduates Closing the Gap between the West and the East

– Leveling the Playing Field

International Cooperation

Broad Access to Foreign Students to Pursue Higher Education

Undergraduate Exchange Program Academic Icon Program International Research Networking/Joint PhD

program International ”Bright sparks” Program

Examples: UM Research Collaboration

a) HIV research

b) Natural Product

Examples of International Research Collaboration – HIV Research

Social Network, HIV Risk Behaviour and HIV Prevalenceamongst Drug Users Using Fishermen i◦ Columbia University

Intervention of HIV & Drug Use – A Randomized ControlledTrial◦ Yale University (NIDA funded)

Risk Behavior & HIV Prevalence Amongst Homosexuals◦ The World Bank

Molecular Epidemiology of the HIV Epidemic National Institute ofInfectious Diseases,Tokyo, Japan

Producing Leaders Since 1905

To enhance the discovery of novel biological compounds from Malaysian natural

products through:

a) Establishment of a highly diverse natural productdatabase

b) Development of wide range of assays including high throughput screening

c) Characterization and quantification of secondary compounds from natural products using state ofthe art analytical technologies

d) Global promotion & collaborations between natural product researchers & institutions

To be the regional centre of excellence for natural product research and drug discovery .

To promote R&D on natural products through interdisciplinary collaborations between academia and industries.

Collaboration

Strathclyde Institute of Drug Research (SIDR), Glasgow

AvantiCell Science Ltd,Glasgow

Nationale des Recherches Scientifiques (CNRS) –France

Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Pharmacology Department, National University of Singapore

Ghent University, Belgium Hoshi University,Japan Shimadzu Corporation, Japan

Internationalization of Education

To promote Malaysia as the regional education hub

AEI is an example towards achieving the mission on internationalization of Malaysia’s Higher Education

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International Research and Strategy Co operation

Number of universities having MOU with UMsince 2005 onwards

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Region Number of Universities/Collaboration

Africa 3Asia 68

Australia/ Oceania 7Europe 24

North America 2

NUMBER OF MOU SIGNED WITH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES BY YEAR

INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Member of :• Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)• ASEAN University Network (AUN Board Member)• Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher

learning (ASAIHL)• Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)• World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE)• Asia-Pacific Association for International Education

(APAIE)

UM signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)andMemorandum of Agreement (MoA) with various universitiesto collaborate, scholars/ students exchanges, jointsupervision, academic programmes and others, including;

National University of Singapore University of Fribourg, Switzerland University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Monash University, Australia City University of Hong Kong Al-Azhar University, Egypt

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Capacity BuildingHuman Resource Development aspects:

Exchange of students, researchers/ scientist, academicians, administration staff;

Reciprocal assistance for visiting academic staff; Joint supervision; and Internship placement

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Capacity Building(contd.)

Global Knowledge and Global Classroom

Joint research activities; Joint seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences; Exchanges of documents, information and research

materials; Facilitation of in-country work experience’; and Other cooperation activities for mutual benefit of the

parties.

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International Recognitions

1. Center for Arbovirus Research & Reference (DengueFever/ Dengue Hemorhagic Fever) Prof. Dr. ShamalaDevi A/P K.C Sekaran, Faculty Of Medicine Awarded by:WHO Collaboration Centre

2. Fellow In The American College Of Cardiology(FACC) Prof. Dr. Wan Azman Bin Wan Ahmad, Faculty OfMedicine Awarded by: Scientific Sessions in LasVegas

3. Fellow in the Society For CardiovascularAngiography And Interventions (FSCAI) Prof.Dr. Wan Azman Bin Wan Ahmad, Faculty OfMedicine Awarded by: Scientific Sessions in LasVegas

4. GOLD Prof. Dr. Yip Cheng Har, Faculty OfMedicine Awarded by: International Union Against Cancer

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UM in the Limelight… OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: NEW FINDING IN

ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS RESEARCH NEW PROJECT IN FORMULATION SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY WHICH BRINGS WORLD'S TOP SCIENTISTS TOGETHER

UM SURGEON WINS INTERNATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARD

UM WINS THE 2009 PHILIP C. JESSUP INTERNATIONAL LAW MOOT COURT COMPETITION

UM TEAM ROBOGAMEZ 2009 CHAMPION ASIA-EUROPE INSTITUTE HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS

A PARTNER MYEULINK PROJECT (EU OUTREACH & VISIBILITY)

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Asia - Europe Case Study

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Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) -an Introduction

The idea to establish AEI was mooted in Bangkokat the inaugural summit ASEM in 1996 by theformer PM of Malaysia Tun Dr. MahathirMohammad.

UM management took on the task withenthusiasm and commitment because we sawpossibilities for engaging Asia and Europe in thefield of higher education which is one of theimportant pillars of the ASEM process.

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Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) - an Introduction (contd.)

• UM first established the Asia-Europe Centre (AEC), on1 December 1997. It commited to promoting and enhancing linkages in higher education between Asia and Europe.

• On January 2, 2000, AEC was upgraded to a full-fledged academic institution and renamed as the Asia-Europe Institute.

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AEI Statute Is an autonomous body (Own Statute).

Interacting with public and private institutions andcompanies in Asia and Europe.

Is an educational infrastructure and knowledgenetwork.Teaching and training (post-graduate students).Conducting academic research.Faculty exchange among ASEM Universities.

Is a novel approach to the challenge ofinternationalizing, democratizing, and liberalizingeducation.

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AEI Academic Programmes

4 International Masters Programme: International Masters in Information Management (IMIM) International Masters in Regional Integration (IMRI) International Masters in Small Medium Enterprises (IMSMEs) International Masters in ASEAN Studies (IMAS)

Its programmes, courses and internships are designed with ourEuropean and Asian colleagues on the basis of a partnership ofequal and mutual understanding.

Ph.D at AEI focuses on Comparative studies between countriesof Asia-Europe,Asia-ASEAN and others.

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ExamplesInternational Masters in ASEAN Studies (IMAS)Partnership with:

• Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii

• New Zealand Asia Institute, Auckland, New Zealand

• University of Giessen, Germany

• ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia

• De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines

AEI establishes smart partnership with universities and relevant institutions in Asia and Europe in developing curriculum for its International Masters Programme

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1. International Visiting Professors for academic year 2002/2003 – 2010/2011

Country of Origin No. Belgium 3

Denmark 1Germany 7Greece 2India 1

Indonesia 3France 2Italy 13

Netherlands 10Malaysia 2

New Zealand 3Norway 1

Philippines 12Singapore 1

Spain 13Sri Lanka 1Sweden 1

Switzerland 3Thailand 3

United Kingdom 8United State of America 5

South Korea 1

Total 9630

International character of AEI Masters Programmes

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International character of AEI Masters Programmes

2. International studentsAEI students came from various parts of the world

Europe Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Hungary, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain

Asia

Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, South Korea,Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, China

America North America

Africa & Middle East Asia

Somalia, Iran, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Albania, Oman

AEI Graduates from 2004-2010

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total

IMIM 16 11 - - - 4 5 36

IMRI 17 15 14 16 - 11 10 83

IMSMEs - - 9 1 - 10 10 30

IMAS - - - - 8 8 10 26

Jumlah 33 26 23 17 8 33 35 175

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Numbers of AEI Graduates from 2004-2010

IMIM IMRI IMSMEs IMAS JUMLAHTOTAL

AEI’s On-going Collaborative Research and Projects

Europe through the Eyes of Asia (ESiA), Malaysia – Research GrantASEF, NCRE

Japanese Economic Activities in British North Borneo before WorldWar II – Research Grant SUMITOMO, Jepun

MYEULINK, Services Sector Dialogue & Business Cooperation andEU Outreach &Visibility, Malaysia – Research Grant EC, Malaysia

Patterns of Complex Networks in Business: Socially SustainableGender Based Business Networks (BAGSoN), Research Grant IPPP,UM, Malaysia

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Country Internship Placement

United Kingdom Innovation North:Faculty of Information & Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds

Belgium United Nations University-Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

Egypt Department of Malaysian Studies, University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt

South Korea Embassy of Malaysia, Seoul

USA Matrade, Los Angeles

Singapore S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Malaysia EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (EUMCCI)

Australia Australia Institute of International Affairs

Indonesia ASEAN Secreatariat, Jakarta

Examples of Internship Placement

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◙ University of Sydney

◙ Liverpool John Moores University

◙ University of Melbourne

◙ Imperial College London

◙ University of Nottingham

◙ Consortium of French University Presidents (The Conference Des Presidents D’Universite)

◙ Queen’s University Belfast (In progress)

◙ University of West of England (In Progress) Page 7

Split and Joint PhD Programs

UM’s Future Approaches

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To move UM forward, we initiated various new initiatives since Jan 2009

Introduction of Standard Academic Performance TargetH-index, Minimum citation

Research Culture Workshops

ISI Journal Paper Writing Seminars –A new unit created for ISI/WoS Publication Unit

UM Academic Transformation 2009 –Phase 1 Initiatives

ISI journal submission as requirement for Thesis submission- PhD : - 2 ISI journal submission- MSc : - 1 ISI journal submission

Rewards for ISI journal Publication according to ISI Journal TieringQ1 – Top 25% : RM 6,000.Q2 – Top 50% : RM 4,000.Q3 – Top 75% : RM 2,000.Q4 – Others : RM 1,000.

Reward to Staff/Student for Early Completion of PhD- Less than 4 years RM 1,000.00- Less than 3 years RM 2,000.00[Supervisor 50% of the amount]

Phase 1 – Initiatives - Cont

An alternative PhD award scheme by way of 5 ISI journal publications

Commercialization Scheme: Academic staff are allowed to set-up companies for

commercialization of their research fundings

Balancing postgraduate to undergraduate ratio as 1:1

Phase 1 – Initiatives - Cont

Attracting and Retaining the Best Malaysians

Identifying top foreigners who can

contribute as short and long term measure

Identifying the Brightest UM students for building the best human capital

resources for UM in the future

Bright Sparks Program

Bright Sparks Program introduced in Phase II

UM strategy:Impetus needed for HIR Projects to provide the foundations to catapult UM to the Top 100 by 2015

The aim of this HIR projects’ to be introduced in UM iscommitted to meet the challenges of ranking and meet thenational agenda to put a Malaysian IPTA in the Top 100 in the next5 years andTop 50 by 2020.

This is a tough challenge but can be achieved. A recent study at UM illustrates the high

bar, that Malaysian IPTAs need to climb! UM publication trends (done in June

2010)show that NUS has 1.2 papers per staff but UM productivity is about 0.53. There UM needs to double output of ISI.

UM citations in 2009 is 2.65 citations per staff. In NUS, it is 21 citations per staff!

CHANCELLORY’S SPECIAL PROJECT –

INTERNATIONAL SMART PARTNERSHIPS

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Emphasis on fundamental research in Medical,

Biological and Physical Sciences in priority areas

Internationalization-Collaborators from overseas to match

with UM researchers

High Impact Research Funding - Targeting 100 papers in Tier 1 (possibly in high impact journals such as Lancet, New England

Journal, Nature

TOTAL REQUEST = RM125 MILLION

i) Eminent scientists and research groups from ivy-league universities and institutions.

ii) Overseas Malaysian Scientists.

“ You have a dream to be the best in your quest. Be it work or study, there is a way at UM. Discover yourself and develop your potential at UM. Give yourself a chance to excel...”

(Discover UM, a World of opportunities, 2009)

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Terima Kasih

Thank You