Kuala lumpur: The National Audit Department reported that as of 30 June 2025, unreturned research grants across four ministries totalled RM183.11 million, covering 7,904 projects.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Auditor-General's Report (LKAN) 1/2026, which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, identified the ministries involved as the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).

The audit highlighted significant weaknesses in financial control management, project monitoring, and project closure procedures, resulting in the inefficient use of research funds and failure to achieve the intended impact. MOHE accounted for the highest unreturned balance of RM110.67 million, involving 7,823 projects across five research universities: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Malaya (UM).

Furthermore, two implementing agencies under MITI recorded unreturned grant balances totalling RM55.64 million, while MOSTI had RM14.33 million and KPKM reported RM2.47 million. The audit also found that RM9.72 million, or 5.3 percent, had been outstanding for over 10 years, while RM89.82 million, or 49 percent, had been unreturned for five to nine years. Unmonitored research grant balances, the report warned, could be repurposed for uses other than those originally approved.

Moreover, MITI's unreturned research grants under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) included RM55.64 million involving the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF). The report noted that agencies had used leftover funds to finance new 12MP projects without obtaining approval from the Finance and Economy Ministries.