ARAU, PERLIS, 22 January 2026 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) made history with the dual proclamation of its two main institutions by USM Chancellor, HRH Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, signifying a new era of excellence in higher education and high technology health services in Malaysia.

The USM branch campus originally located in Seri Iskandar, Perak, and was formerly known as Perak Branch Campus (KCP) in 1986, moved to Penang in 2001 to become the Engineering Campus, and which now has been officially proclaimed as the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, USM.

This proclamation reflects the role of the campus as a centre of educational excellence, research and high technological innovation.

Situated in Nibong Tebal, the 146.65-hectare campus has more than 4,453 students, and with six Engineering schools, namely School of Aerospace Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, School of Materials & Mineral Resources Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, and School of Mechanical Engineering.

The Engineering Campus is also the location of three High Impact Centres of Excellence. They are the River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre (REDAC), Collaborative Microelectronic Design Excellence Centre (CEDEC) and Science and Engineering Research Centre (SERC). Since it was first established, the campus has succeeded in producing 23,575 alumni members.

It also serves as the main hub in the development of semiconductor technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced electronic packaging as well as other various engineering offshoots with the execution of strategic initiatives through collaborations with industry partners at the local and global levels.

The effort is supported with the implementation of a specialised curriculum regarding the installation, testing, tagging, and semiconductor packaging, which was among the first to be offered at a local higher education institution, simultaneously contributing to the development of highly-trained talents in a high-impact field in the country.

In the same ceremony, HRH Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin also proclaimed the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (IPPT) as the Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Cancer Centre (PKTAAB), USM.

The proclamation acknowledges the contribution of the late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, in the development of education and health in the country.

Being the first University Teaching Hospital in Malaysia with the thrust on cancer, PKTAAB offers high-technology treatment for clinical oncology, radiotherapy, brachytherapy, surgery, nuclear medicine and palliative care.

The centre has also been acknowledged as a Centre of Educational Excellence by BrachyAcademy, an organisation based in the Netherlands. It is well-known as the main reference centre for the Hybrid Brachytherapy and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (HyBIRT) technique in treating tongue cancer without the need for surgery.

PKTAAB plays an important role in producing talents and highly-trained scientists in the field of medicine as well as in supporting the development of world-class translational research and innovation in medical technology.

Text: Professor Ir. Dr. Mariatti Jaafar @ Mustapha (Director, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus, USM) & Associate Professor Dr. Bakiah Shaharuddin (Director, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Cancer Centre (PKTAAB), USM)/ Editing: Associate Professor Dr. Shaik Abdul Malik Mohamed Ismail (Senior Editorial Consultant @ MPRC USM)/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa