Kuala lumpur: The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) is refining plans to establish a Malaysia-Indonesia research consortium as a strategic step to strengthen academic cooperation at the regional level. Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir said the proposal stemmed from his official working visit to Indonesia last month and will involve public institutions of higher learning in critical fields.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zambry Abd Kadir stated, 'We have begun discussions on a Malaysia-Indonesia research consortium that can be expanded through public universities with niche areas such as food security, green economy, renewable energy, aerospace, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and drones,' he said when winding up the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address for MOHE in the Dewan Negara today.

He also shared that at the ministry level, the MOHE conducts annual meetings with selected countries, including ongoing cooperation with Trkiye, while China has recently agreed to hold annual meetings between the two ministries to explore collaboration opportunities in the form of consortia as mentioned.

In a related development, Zambry said Balik Pulau Polytechnic in Penang and Sultanah Bahiyah Polytechnic in Kulim, Kedah have been directed to undergo functional repurposing to focus on the semiconductor field. He said the move is aimed at supporting the existing high-technology ecosystem, including the advanced semiconductor research laboratory at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) based on Intel 18A.

'The laboratory at USM is the only programme permitted to operate outside Intel's headquarters in the United States, reflecting the tech giant's strong confidence in the country's higher education system,' he said. According to Zambry, the functional repurposing is also to ensure that the curriculum at both polytechnics aligns with the rapidly expanding semiconductor industry ecosystem in the northern region.