JOHOR BAHRU, March 30, 2015 – The agenda for strengthening Research and Development (R&D) activities in Higher Learning Institutions should be empowered from time to time in order to make it relevant to meet current needs.
Research activities must also be designated as compulsory in every institution of higher learning for the purpose of strengthening the acquisition of knowledge.
The Director of Higher Education Planning Excellence, Department of Higher Education, Malaysia Ministry of Education, Prof. Dr. Raha Abdul Rahim said that besides strengthening knowledge, R&D activities can also be utilised in solving problems faced by the community at large.
Prof. Raha said this in her speech at the Closing Ceremony of the 2011 Colloquium of University Research Grant (GUP) organized by the Research Management Centre (RMC) in the Faculty of Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering (FBME).
Also at the ceremony was Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail and RMC Director, Prof. Dr. Ruzairi Hj Abd. Rahim.
Prof Raha also added that exceptional researchers must possessed elements of the three ‘R’, namely, Relevance, Respected and Referred.
“A good example of relevant research that matches current needs is the ones related to flood management. Results obtained can produce effective flood management procedures and be utilized in the future.
“It is essential for researchers to earn respect based on his experiences. Respect earned can then act as reference for other researchers, especially beginners. The more respect and referred obtained, the better would the research quality be,” she said.
Prof Raha then presented the prizes to the top five winners of the Best Presenter Award and 10 Academy Award for Best Poster.
The organization of the University Grants Research Colloquium Tier 1 and Phase Flagship 2011 inaugural theme of “Cultivating Research” was intended to support the University’s intention to implement a research culture, in particular strengthening leadership research among young researchers and students to achieve a comparable level of research with senior researchers.