MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY CLOSES RM4 MILLION R&D CONTRACT

Grants from TMR&D to Help Develop Malaysian-Grown Futuristic ICT, Advanced Nanomaterials and Devices

CYBERJAYA, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Multimedia University (MMU) today reached two milestones in research and development (R&D), namely being awarded an RM4 million research grant and the launching of seven new University Centres of Excellence (CoE).

The grant is provided by TM Research & Development (TMR&D), and is meant to finance five research programmes: Next Generation Optical-Wireless Access Networks; Digital Home Technologies and Applications; Next Generation Human-Computer Interactions ICT Technologies and Applications; Photonic Nanowires; and Nanoelectronic Materials and Devices for Emerging Multimedia-Telecommunication-Based ICT Applications.

These projects will enable the development of new technologies in the application optical and wireless communication, development of revolutionary fibres as well as nanotechnology. More importantly, it will pave the way for more Malaysian firms to gain a foot-hold in the production of multimedia and engineering solutions that are currently dominated by foreign companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Samsung.

The decision by TMR&D to award the grant to MMU is not simply because the university is a subsidiary of TM. Chairman of TM Berhad and MMU, Datuk Halim Shafie, pointed out in his speech that the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), through its 2010 “Malaysian Science & Technology Indicators” report used to attract foreign investments to Malaysia, rated MMU as the Top Private University for the 2000 — 2009 period. Furthermore, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has given MMU a 3-Star rating out of a possible 5 Stars in their Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) instrument. Halim said that MMU’s rank on the MyRA gauge has been increasing steadily, an indication of excellent current research capabilities as well as superb future potential.

MMU is also perfectly equipped to conduct the necessary research. Its current research centres are being transformed into seven University CoE, in accordance with MOHE guidelines. The COEs are focused in the areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and Creative Multimedia, to strengthen the research identity of MMU. They are the i-knowmedia Centre; Centre for Information Security and Cyber Laws; Centre for Remote Sensing and Surveillance Technologies; Centre for Photonic and Electronic Devices; Centre for Communication and Signal Processing; Centre for Advanced Materials and Green Technologies; and Centre for Visual Computing.

The event also saw the CEO for TMR&D, Dr. Gopi Kurup, being appointed as an Adjunct Professor to MMU. The purpose of the Adjunct Professorship is to enhance the collaboration between MMU and TM R&D, as well as to enable better supervision of MMU postgraduate students.

Also in attendance was MMU President, Professor Dato’ Dr. Muhamad Rasat Muhamad.

About Multimedia University

Multimedia University (MMU) is Malaysia’s first private university, incorporated in 1997. To date, MMU has produced 29,776 graduates. The university currently has about 21,000 students across both its campuses in Cyberjaya and Bukit Beruang, Melaka. Of this student population, more than 4,100 are international students. MMU has hosted students from 90 countries, and is focused in the fields of Engineering, Information Technology, Business and Management, Creative Multimedia, Accounting, Law and Life Sciences. Its tracer studies have found that more than 90 per cent of MMU graduates secure employment within six months of completing their studies.

SOURCE : Multimedia University (MMU)

--BERNAMA