KUALA LUMPUR: YTL Cement Bhd, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, has highlighted the continued progress of the University-Industry Research Consortium (UIRC).
Launched in October 2023, the initiative brings together leading universities and industry partners to enhance knowledge and stewardship of the country's rare and ecologically significant tropical limestone karst landscapes.
The universities are Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
The symposium on "The Tropical Karst Landscape: Challenges for Conservation and Sustainable Use" showcased key milestones including the announcement of the inaugural six UIRC scholarship recipients and the introduction of the UIRC Young Researcher Industrial Grant.
It also provided a platform to review ongoing student research and facilitate knowledge exchange between emerging scholars and industry experts.
YTL Cement executive director Datuk Hamidah Maktar, who is also the co-chairperson of UIRC, said the UIRC progress report for the period from January until now has highlighted several commendable achievements.
"Among them are six scholarship recipients from the first cohort, upcoming UIRC industry grants to be awarded, and three university roadshows that have engaged 400 students and lecturers.
"We also plan to conduct additional roadshows at other universities such as Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, and Universiti Sains Malaysia next year," she said at the symposium.
Hamidah said the programme has provided a platform offering opportunities in the field of tropical limestone karst landscapes.
Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman said the symposium marks an important step as the first programme organised under the UIRC.
"It also aims to gather ideas and produce research on tropical limestone, which is critically important as it is a key natural heritage of our country," she said.
Azlinda noted that students who perform well in programmes like this are more likely to be recruited by industries such as YTL Cement and other sectors focused on limestone research, ultimately delivering significant benefits to the nation.
The symposium celebrated the awarding of six inaugural UIRC scholarships - four through the esteemed YTL Cement Scholarship and two under MOHE's MyBrain 2.0 Scholarship.
In addition to scholarships, the UIRC also introduced its Young Researcher Industrial Grant, providing up to RM30,000 per project for early-career academics.