SERDANG, 7 May 2014 - The government has managed to save up to RM2 billion when 3,897 eligible students chose to pursue their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Malaysia.

Education Minister II, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, said that the savings are consistent with the needs of the government and the positive effects that can be seen after the launch of the Research University (RU) initiative in 2007.

He said those estimations were made after considering the costs to be borne by the government and that is between RM500,000 and RM1 million for each PhD candidate who studies abroad.

He said that RU status was awarded to five local universities and they are Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia USM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) that have proven to drive the K-economy besides propelling our country development faster towards the developed country status by 2020.

“Since its inception until 2012, the RU has produced 6,975 PhDs and 2,200 professors, while providing 182,720 of highly skilled jobs and generated RM1.25 billion of revenue through innovative research.

“It also allows us to produce more PhD holders and great research projects. It is proven with various research findings presented and we also succeeded in identifying many scholars in various fields,” he said.
 
He remarked this at a press conference after witnessing the Five Research Universities Success Exhibition at UPM here yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Media Event RU Success Stories exhibition showcasing the higher education achievements in talent management is the second in a series after having the first series that focused on publication.

The two-day exhibition which will be ending today also highlights the success of RU in producing outstanding individuals under the sub-themes of sustainability, entrepreneurship, environmental issues, food safety, and health and well-being.

The exhibition aims to send a message to public regarding the role of RU and their contribution of research that will help in the country development, thus giving impact on the industry and the communities in Malaysia.

The Media Event RU Success Stories programme comes in five series, beginning at UM with the theme ‘journal publications’; UPM, ‘talent management’; USM, ‘research and development’; UTM, ‘commercialisation’; and UKM, ‘Economic and Social Impacts’. - Translation: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Text and Photos: Marziana Mohamed Alias