Govt hopes for multiple returns on UM investment

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Universiti Malaya (UM) would have to multiply the government's investment of RM590 million on high impact research.
"The government has allocated this amount to UM for high impact research between 2011 and 2015. This big investment is expected to multiply returns. Thus, it is crucial that all the planning and execution of activities are done well to give the best impact and optimize all the sources available while avoiding wastage," he said at the launch of the book High Impact Research – Touching Lives, Impacting Society today.
"The funding that the government had provided enabled the university to provide sophisticated infrastructure and equipment for the researchers.
"I hope all the researchers from all public and private higher learning institutions will benefit from the high technology facilities that has been provided in the Central Laboratory in the High Impact Research building," he said.
"As one of Malaysia's most prestigious universities, UM's research products should be the catalyst for the development and progress of Malaysia.
"This includes producing high quality graduates, creating competitive job opportunities in various industries, and increasing the number of patents to be commercialised while attracting more academicians to produce more high impact researches," added Muhyiddin who is also the Education Minister.
He noted that UM had attracted some of the world's academic icons to create a collaboration like Prof Barry Marshall, who is a professor in Clinical Microbiology in University of Western Australia, Prof Noyori Ryoji the president of Riken Institute, and other notables.