USM PENANG, 16 October 2023 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Professor Dr. Habibah Abdul Wahab, received a courtesy visit today from a delegation of TusStar Malaysia, a technology incubator based in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting took place at the Chancellory Conference Room in the USM Chancellory Building.

Among the attendees were Chief Executive Officer of TusStar Malaysia, Ravenna Chen and Nicole Lyu, the Project Manager of TusCBEC at TusStar Malaysia, who is also a Ph.D. candidate at the USM School of Management.

Also in attendance was Professor Ir. Dr. Srimala Sreekantan, the Director of the Centre for Innovation and Consultation (CIC) at USM.

The purpose of the visit was to explore potential collaboration opportunities between TusStar Malaysia and USM. The delegation sought to gain insights into establishing a partnership with USM.

Ravenna Chen provided an overview of the company's background and also emphasised USM's reputation for excellence and its extensive talent pool in fostering scientific innovation. She further stressed that USM is an excellent partner for TusStar.

She expressed hope that through discussions, TusStar’s expertise, resources, and network in technology incubation and entrepreneurship could be aligned with USM's goals and initiatives.

“We believe that by sharing our experience and collaborating on various projects, we can enhance the innovation ecosystem and contribute to the advancement of science and technology in Malaysia,” said Ravenna.

Earlier, Habibah had extended a warm welcome to the delegates and expressed the potential for future collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).

Meanwhile, Srimala explained that the meeting was aimed at assessing the available intellectual property and technology at USM.

“Once we gauge the interest, we will initiate collaboration to expedite the transition into the market, ensuring a certain level of accessibility,” she added.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi/ Photo: Shahnizam Ab Rahim