PENANG, March 2015 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently received sponsorship of laboratory equipment and products worth RM50,000 from IKA Works (Asia) Sdn Bhd at its Main Campus here.

In the sponsorship collaboration signing ceremony, USM was represented by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman, while IKA Works (Asia) by its Managing Director (Lab/Analytical Technology), Tobias Aman.

The equipment and products sponsored were presented to Professor Dr. Abdul Latif Ahmad from the School of Chemical Engineering to further pursue his research work in the areas of polymer science, wastewater treatment and membrane separation technology.

Appraising this effort, Omar said this collaboration could be the beginning of more research collaborations in the future between the two parties, even in other fields of study.

“USM is proud to have IKA Works (Asia) as a partner in research, and I hope this kind of collaboration will enhance and further equip the research facilities at the laboratories allowing more world-class research and development projects to be carried out,” said Omar.

Omar added, the School of Chemical Engineering has contributed significantly to the university through its academics, research and development projects, and placing USM in the top 100 QS World University Ranking statistics in the respective field of study.

Professor Dr. Abdul Latif Ahmad too is one of the three Malaysian researchers to have been honoured by Thomson Reuters the title “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” in 2014.

Meanwhile, Tobias Aman said IKA is thankful to USM for this research cooperation, as this would allow the company to contribute not only to the advancement of Professor Abdul Latif’s work, but also as a form of corporate social responsibility.

“The company plans to offer internships and jobs as well at its main office in Malaysia in the near future. This would allow the possibilities for further research and development activities on various products and applications. I hope this can be a small start towards bigger things,” added Tobias Aman.

Others present at the ceremony include Professor Dr. Abdul Latif Ahmad and Sales Manager (Lab) of IKA Works (Asia) Sdn Bhd., Yenny Lim.  

IKA Works is a German-based company set up in 1910, and has now become one of the leading suppliers for equipment and machinery used in laboratories, pharmacies and hospitals. The company has recently won the 2015 German Design Award “Excellent Product Design – Industry” for its exceptional equipment design and quality. It has more than 1,000 employees in eight locations throughout the world. - Text: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin & Tan Ewe Hoe/Photos: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa