KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 28 – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), through the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), further strengthened Malaysia-Japan collaboration in higher education, research, industry and innovation through the Malaysia-Japan Industrial & Innovation Expo (MJIIX) 2026, held at the Grand Banquet Hall, UTM Hotel & Residence, UTM Kuala Lumpur.

MJIIX 2026 brought together academia, industry, government, the diplomatic community, professional bodies, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and young talent on a platform designed to connect ideas with industrial and societal impact. Based on event figures, this year’s edition involved 11 participating countries, 28 higher education and technical institutions, more than 300 school students, five professional bodies, 113 competition entries, 62 expert judges, 20 exhibiting organisations, 14 micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) booths, and 17 sponsors, supporters and partners.

UTM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), Prof. Ts. Dr. Ali Selamat, delivered the welcoming remarks on behalf of UTM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim. He highlighted MJIIX’s role in transforming the long-standing Malaysia-Japan relationship into an increasingly impact-driven partnership involving higher education, talent, research, industry and innovation.

He emphasised that the future of the partnership should increasingly move beyond conventional academic exchanges towards co-learning, co-development and co-creation.

“MJIIT builds the bridge. MJIIT 2.0 expands the bridge. And MJIIX helps move talent, ideas and innovation across that bridge,” said Prof. Ali.

Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, His Excellency Shikata Noriyuki, delivered the launching address, followed by a Memorandum of Understanding exchange ceremony and an exhibition tour.

While Malaysia-Japan cooperation remains at the heart of MJIIX, the 2026 edition demonstrated the platform’s widening international reach. The event recorded participation involving diplomatic representatives from Japan, Iran, Iraq, China, Vietnam, Germany, India, Algeria, Kenya and Palestine, complementing participation from universities, industries and other organisations across the 11 countries represented at the Expo.

The participation of 28 higher education and technical institutions is particularly significant in creating opportunities for new institutional partnerships, student and researcher mobility, joint projects and multidisciplinary research collaboration. Meanwhile, the involvement of more than 300 school students extends the impact of MJIIX to the next generation, exposing young learners to STEM, research, innovation, international collaboration and technology-based career pathways.

For UTM, the emerging MJIIT 2.0 agenda provides an opportunity to take Malaysia-Japan higher education cooperation to its next stage – moving from student exchange to wider talent mobility, from individual academic collaboration to strategic research alliances, and from laboratory research towards technology co-creation and industrial deployment.

MJIIX 2026 builds on the development of previous editions. In 2024, MJIIX brought together approximately 500 participants from universities, industry, government and the innovation ecosystem, while in 2025, more than 500 participants joined under the theme “Academia-Industry-Government: Expanding Horizons.” The 2026 edition takes the next step by widening industry participation and enabling companies to engage more directly with MJIIT researchers, research capabilities and facilities.

The innovation component of MJIIX 2026 was reinforced by 113 competition entries evaluated with the involvement of 62 expert judges. Two international research and innovation competitions formed part of the programme, providing platforms for researchers, students and innovators to showcase ideas, projects and prototypes addressing real-world industrial and societal challenges.

Alongside the competitions, the presence of 20 exhibiting organisations, 14 MSME booths and 17 sponsors, supporters and partners strengthened the pathway between research and potential adoption. These elements reinforce MJIIX as an innovation and industry ecosystem rather than solely a research exhibition.

Malaysia and Japan also bring complementary strengths to this collaboration, particularly in engineering, technology development, industrial capabilities, university expertise and Malaysia’s strategic position within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this context, MJIIX serves as a platform connecting expertise, talent and innovation from both countries with wider international networks.

In his remarks, Prof. Ali challenged participants to look beyond conventional measures of event success and consider what happens after MJIIX, including how conversations become joint research projects, how industry challenges are matched with university expertise, how prototypes are validated by companies, and how technologies move towards intellectual property, licensing, start-up formation and commercialisation.

For researchers, Prof. Ali encouraged a shift from asking only “What research can I publish?” towards also asking “What problem can my research solve?” and “Who should I work with to bring this solution into the real world?”

He also said that while the question “What can Malaysia learn from Japan?” remains relevant, the next phase of the partnership should increasingly ask: “What can Malaysia and Japan create together?” This includes jointly developing technologies, nurturing international talent, establishing research and innovation partnerships, building start-ups and bringing Malaysian-Japanese solutions to ASEAN and wider global markets.

MJIIX 2026 also supports the aspirations of UTM ASCEND 2030 by providing a practical platform for research excellence, global engagement, talent development, innovation and societal impact.

As Malaysia and Japan move towards MJIIT 2.0 and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027, UTM sees MJIIX as an increasingly important mechanism for translating bilateral aspirations into tangible outcomes.

The objective is to progress from mobility to co-creation, from collaboration to strategic partnership, from research excellence to innovation, and from innovation to impact.

“Let MJIIX be where ideas meet opportunities, where universities meet industry, where Malaysia meets Japan, and where collaboration becomes impact,” Prof. Ali concluded.

By Prof. Ts. Dr. Ali Selamat, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia