SIBU: Higher learning institutions (IPT) should collaborate with industries to explore all that science and technology have to offer.
Education, Science and Technological Research Assistant Minister Dr Annuar Rapaee said such collaborations could lead to new and significant inventions.
Explaining, he disclosed that the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) engineering faculty had collaborated with Twin Catalyst in the invention of a hammock wheelchair.
The hammock wheelchair was designed to assist nurses and caretakers in the transfer of patients from vehicle and to bed.
“There are many things we can invent for the medical aspects, especially in engineering. Therefore, it is important for the university to have a research chair for bioengineering medical technology and innovation.
“The hammock wheelchair by the UTS and Twin Catalyst shows how a good idea with collaborations can produce something that is very significant. I believe that the hammock wheelchair will be a hot item not only needed by hospitals but families who require such equipment,” he said.
He said this during the official launch of UTS at the UTS Campus here on Wednesday (Nov 10).
Dr Annuar disclosed that UTS had forged collaborations with 29 international universities from 12 different countries for its learning and teaching as well as research.
For research and development (R&D), he noted that the university had been awarded recognition by the Malaysian Research Assessment Instrument (MyRa) with 222 research grants since 2013.
UTS has six research centres including the Advanced Centre for Sustainable Socio-Economic and Technological Development (ASSET); Borneo Regionalism and Conservation (BORC); Centre of Excellence in Wood Engineered Products (CeWEP); Centre for Research of Innovation and Sustainable Development (CRISD); and the Drone Research and Application Centre (DRAC).
“All of these research centers contribute to providing solutions to local issues by using digital science, technology and innovation in achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability,” he said.
He also said that the university had published over 354 publications including journals and books.
In addition to that, the university has two online journals under its publishing management, namely the Borneo Journal for Science and Technology (BJOST) and the Borneo Journal for Social Science and Humanities (BJSSH).
