Kuala Lumpur: All higher education institutions (IPT) in the country must embrace the concept of sharing knowledge and expertise to produce greater innovations, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. Speaking at the Malaysia's Research Star Award (MRSA) 2025 ceremony here today, Zambry emphasised that such collaboration benefits not only the institutions themselves but also the nation as a whole.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zambry stressed the importance of not being too closed off in their approaches and urged universities to avoid competing solely to outshine one another. Instead, he encouraged them to work together, highlighting that this concept is crucial and constantly emphasised to the world. He also urged all academic staff to support one another in research and development (R and D) so that the outcomes can be shared with society.

Zambry further called on IPT communities to eliminate any culture or practice that could create negative public perceptions and tarnish the reputation of educational institutions. He warned against unhealthy university cultures, stating that internal conflicts would only undermine the academic traditions of the institutions.

On the topic of academic publications, Zambry noted that producing scholarly materials is vital for enhancing the reputation and quality of local universities. He congratulated all MRSA 2025 award recipients, expressing hope that these achievements would inspire even greater success.

The MRSA, introduced in 2012, presented 26 awards across four categories: Frontier Researcher, Outstanding Research in Phytochemicals, Researcher Cluster, and Journal. Universiti Putra Malaysia emerged as the top winner, securing two awards in the Frontier Researcher and Outstanding Research in Phytochemicals categories.