SKUDAI, 6 September 2011: True to its reputation as a premier research university in engineering and technology, UTM has proved its mettle as the top 200 in engineering and technology ranking. UTM world ranking in this subject area improves from 240 last year to 190 this year.
Other than general ranking, QS world university ranking also ranks university according five subject areas which are Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Life Sciences and Medicine, Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences.
With improvement in this ranking UTM is placed in the top ten in Southeast Asia in this subject area together with established universities such as National University of Singapore (world university ranking in engineering and technology – (9)), Nanyang Technological University(26), Chulalongkorn University(104), Institut Teknologi Bandung(100) and Universiti Malaya(180).
UTM’s effort in strategic engagement with renowned universities around the world in areas of mutual interest has shown results when it moved fifty notches up in the ranking for engineering and technology.
Among the strategic projects already in the pipeline include low carbon technology and automotive engineering with Imperial College, industrial biotechnology with MIT, low carbon society project with Kyoto University, environmental engineering with Denmark Technological University, bioproducts development with Delft University of Technology, combustion technology with Cambridge University, and innovation initiative with Stanford University.
Despite a drop in overall ranking, UTM views the ranking exercise as a indicator for it to continously improve its performance in other fields such as natural sciences, biological sciences and humanities.
It is worth noting that UTM’s focus in non engineering fields is relatively new and this has in a way affected its overall ranking which take into consideration performance in all disciplines.
Nevertheless, efforts by the university have been in place with the Vice Chancellor, Dato’ Zaini Ujang aggresively pursuing a balanced and holistic strategy to improve limitations in other areas.
One such strategy is the formation of new non engineering faculties and centre of excellence such as Perdana School of Innovation and Technology Policy, Faculty of Islamic Civilisation,and Centre for Advanced Studies in Islamic Science and Civilisation.
In this respect, UTM aims not to duplicate what others have done but to focus on niche areas which have high impact and contribute to national interest such as halal science, islamic jurisprudence, and innovation and technology policy, to name of few.
UTM has also established strategic collaboration with industrial partners such as Rolls Royce, Proton and Lotus, AirAsia, and Construction Industry and Development Board, to name a few.
This has strengthened academia-industry relationship resulting in positive synergy that contributes to national development towards high income nation.