USM takes research beyond the lab

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has secured RM1.202 million in new industry funding from Intel Malaysia and Micron Memory Malaysia.

This gives fresh momentum to Malaysia's drive to build advanced semiconductor capability, develop highly specialised talent and move university research into industrial application.

At the University Research and Innovation Investment Summit (URIIS) 2026 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, USM Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed said the funding provides a concrete response to one of Malaysia's most persistent innovation challenges: moving promising university research beyond publications and prototypes into validation, investment, production and wider market adoption.

Opening the summit, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi identified the critical gap between research and commercial scale as Malaysia's "missing middle".

To close it, he called for three decisive shifts: from relying mainly on grants to building a broader ecosystem of capital; from research outputs to real-world solutions; and from talent to enterprise and ownership.

The challenge is particularly urgent because Malaysia already possesses a formidable innovation base.

The country ranked 34th among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2025 and second among upper-middle-income economies.

Its Malaysian R&D Commercialisation Portal records more than 500 matched patents valued at over RM2 billion, alongside more than 120 active missions.

The strategic task is therefore no longer simply to generate ideas, but to connect the strongest of them with credible partners, patient capital, industrial validation and clear routes to scale.

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Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir reinforced that imperative, saying URIIS must ultimately be judged by investments secured, technologies licensed, pilot projects launched, partnerships formed and solutions taken to market.

The inaugural summit brought universities, investors, industry and policymakers together around more than 200 investment-potential technologies spanning at least nine strategic sectors.

USM supplied some of the summit's strongest evidence of that model in action.

Intel Malaysia and Micron Memory Malaysia presented RM482,000 and RM720,000,respectively, to Rahman.

The cheque presentation, made by Intel Foundry vice-president and Intel Malaysia managing director Wei Chern Lee and Micron Memory Malaysia CAT assembly engineering director Sia Chen Seng, was witnessed by Zahid and Zambry.

Intel Malaysia was the principal sponsor of the USM pavilion, supported by co-sponsors Micron Memory Malaysia, SanDisk Storage Malaysia and ViTrox Corporation Bhd.

USM was the only public university to mount a dedicated, industry-sponsored pavilion at URIIS, a significant endorsement of its ability to align frontier research, specialised talent and real industrial requirements.

The USM-Intel partnership, established in 2023, has now funded 11 advanced packaging projects worth about RM1.61 million in total, including two new projects this year. It has also produced an industry-aligned elective course, a microprocessor laboratory and a joint Industry-on-Campus facility.

Most notably, USM is the first institution outside the United States to gain access to Intel's 18A Process Design Kit, giving researchers exceptional exposure to next-generation chip-design technology.

Micron Memory Malaysia's RM720,000 contribution builds on its broader collaboration with USM across semiconductor research and talent development.

The wider partnership has focused on bringing industry knowledge closer to the classroom through initiatives such as the Semiconductor Package Assembly & Test programme, formerly known as ATMP.

Developed with industry-relevant content and supported by Micron technical experts, the programme helps bridge academic learning with practical semiconductor manufacturing knowledge and strengthens the pipeline of industry-ready engineering talent.

USM also led the Driving Advanced Packaging in Malaysia forum with senior representatives from Intel, ViTrox, FusionAP and Broadcom.

The discussion identified four capabilities that Malaysia must develop in concert: highly skilled local talent, world-class research and development infrastructure, a resilient supply chain, and stronger participation by Malaysian companies and start-ups in higher-value activities.

The university's commercialisation pipeline extended to the investment stage.

Seven USM researchers pitched technologies directly to the Malaysian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and Leave a Nest, while five researchers presented expertise across semiconductors and advanced materials, sustainable energy, life sciences and health, defence and security, and advanced mobility.

This exposed the technologies to rigorous assessment of market need, readiness, scalability and investment potential.

USM's international reach was strengthened further through an exchange of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Leave a Nest Japan.

Existing collaboration with its network of Japanese companies and investors has generated research, development and investment opportunities estimated at US$120,000, including links with Euglena Co Ltd and KINCHO and access to international innovation platforms.

USM's presence at URIIS 2026 broadened the meaning of commercialisation. Alongside frontier semiconductor research, its COMPASSION framework (Community Programme for Sustainable Impact Mission) showed how communities can become economic partners while retaining ownership of their knowledge.

The work reflects the Leave No One Behind principle of the United Nations 2030 Agenda by connecting communities to viable markets.

In Baling, COMPASSION is connecting the 276-member Kensiu Orang Asli community's mengkuang weaving traditions to the premium corporate gift market while keeping cultural ownership with the weavers.

At the Centre for Transformation of Persons with Disabilities, a USM and MAIK (Islamic and Malay Custom Council of Kelantan) initiative, tanjak-making training has led to commissioned work. Two of the 28 trainees are now recognised as skilled artisans.

Together, these initiatives show how research can create viable livelihoods while advancing cultural ownership, dignity and inclusion, ensuring that communities have a meaningful stake in the opportunities they help to build on their own terms.

The true significance of URIIS 2026 will be felt long after the summit ends. Malaysia's most meaningful innovation milestones will be measured in transformative technologies adopted, globally competitive enterprises built and greater value retained within the country.

USM has placed itself at the forefront of this defining national ambition. Its next and most important task is to demonstrate that Malaysian research can complete the journey from outstanding discovery to world class industrial capability, and from national promise to global distinction.