A Bold Future for UTM

By Prof. Dr. Rosli Md Illias
& Dr ‘Afifah Taat

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has long been at the forefront of research and innovation in Malaysia, leveraging its intellectual and technological resources to advance knowledge and societal impact. The transition from the UTM Research and Innovation Blueprint 2025 to the ambitious R&I Blueprint 2030 reflects the university’s commitment to continuous improvement and its aspiration to become a global leader in research and development. The Blueprint 2025 has served as a crucial stepping stone, laying the foundation for this seamless transition. By emphasizing strategic objectives, UTM aims to accelerate excellence in research and innovation, ensuring that the university remains a key player on the global stage.

The R&I Blueprint 2025 focused on fostering a culture of scholarly excellence, which remains a cornerstone of UTM’s long-term vision. Supporting high-quality publications and impactful research has been a key priority. UTM has placed a strong emphasis on enhancing the quality of its research outputs. By nurturing top talent, streamlining grant systems, and promoting transdisciplinary collaboration, the university has made significant strides in securing its position on the global research stage. These efforts have not only increased the visibility of UTM’s scholarly work but also fostered a culture of academic excellence.

Recognizing the importance of collaboration, UTM has worked to establish strong alliances with industry leaders, government bodies, and communities. These partnerships have facilitated shared UTM-industry facilities and promoted real-world problem-solving initiatives, thereby strengthening Malaysia’s position in the global knowledge economy. Transforming research into viable innovations has also been a central tenet of UTM’s strategy. The ‘Lab-to-Market’ approach focuses on turning research into viable products, services, and businesses. By launching incubation programs and creating the dedicated Technovation Valley, UTM has empowered researchers and students to bring their innovative ideas to market. This initiative has driven economic growth, fostered entrepreneurship, and created new job opportunities.

UTM Research and Innovation Blueprint 2025 published in 2021 by UTM Press

A conducive research environment is essential for success. The Blueprint emphasized the need for state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, streamlined management processes, and a strong culture of ethics and integrity. These measures have ensured that researchers receive the necessary support to excel in their work, fostering a sense of trust and collaboration within the academic community. Launched in 2021, AIMS4STAR serves as a collaborative platform uniting academia, government, industry, and community stakeholders. This platform facilitates cross-disciplinary projects and encourages joint initiatives aimed at addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Through these strategic objectives, the Blueprint 2025 has laid a solid foundation for the ambitious goals of the R&I Blueprint 2030. While significant progress has been made, the journey to 2030 presents even greater opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and impact.

The R&I Blueprint 2030 represents a bold and forward-looking vision for UTM. This strategic plan aims to cement UTM’s position as a leader in smart, sustainable, and integrated knowledge and research for societal transformation. At the heart of this visionary blueprint are core values that guide UTM’s approach: upholding the highest standards in research, teaching, and innovation; fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture within the university and beyond; promoting a holistic approach to solving complex challenges through innovation; embracing change and staying agile in a rapidly evolving global landscape; and preparing for emerging trends and challenges to ensure long-term success.

UTM aims to build on the successes of Blueprint 2025 by further enhancing the quality and impact of its research outputs. This includes expanding funding opportunities to support high-impact research projects, strengthening transdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, science and technology, and social sciences, encouraging researchers to publish in top-tier journals and pursue impactful studies that address global challenges, and leveraging advanced analytics and digital tools to improve research efficiency and outcomes.

Collaboration remains a key focus of the Blueprint 2030. UTM seeks to forge new alliances with international universities, research institutions, and industry leaders. It plans to expand its network of shared facilities to support joint research initiatives, engage with policymakers and community leaders to align research efforts with national and regional priorities, and promote real-world problem-solving through collaborative projects, ensuring that research outcomes translate into tangible benefits for society.

UTM’s Lab-to-Market strategy will play an even more prominent role in the 2030 Blueprint. The university plans to establish additional incubation centers and accelerators to support startups and spin-off companies, expand the Technovation Valley to include state-of-the-art facilities and mentorship programs, create funding mechanisms to support commercialization efforts, and encourage students and researchers to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, fostering a culture of innovation and risk-taking.

A robust research ecosystem is vital for achieving UTM’s ambitious goals. The Blueprint emphasizes upgrading laboratory and research facilities to ensure they meet international standards, simplifying administrative processes to reduce barriers and enhance efficiency, promoting a strong culture of ethics and integrity in research practices, and providing targeted training and development programs to build research capacity and leadership skills.

The AIMS4STAR platform will be further developed to maximize its impact. This includes introducing new collaborative tools and resources to facilitate cross-disciplinary projects, organizing joint initiatives that address pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, expanding the platform’s reach to include more stakeholders from diverse sectors, and measuring the impact of AIMS4STAR projects to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with UTM’s strategic goals.

While the R&I Blueprint 2030 presents a clear and ambitious roadmap, its success depends on UTM’s ability to adapt to an ever-changing global landscape. Key challenges include navigating funding constraints and securing sustainable financial resources for research and innovation, addressing the growing complexity of global challenges which require innovative and interdisciplinary solutions, ensuring that UTM’s research efforts align with the needs of industry, government, and society, and attracting and retaining top talent in an increasingly competitive academic environment.

To overcome these challenges, UTM will leverage its strengths, including its established reputation for excellence, its vibrant academic community, and its extensive network of partners. By embracing innovation, fostering collaboration, and staying true to its core values, UTM is well-positioned to achieve its 2030 vision.

UTM R&I Blueprint 2030: A Strategic Vision
The new blueprint charts a strategic path, aiming to cement UTM’s position as a leader in smart, sustainable, and integrated knowledge and research for societal transformation. This visionary plan not only articulates UTM’s ambitious goals but also provides a clear roadmap for becoming a world-class research institution by 2030. At the heart of UTM’s Blueprint are core values: quality, collegiality, systemic thinking & innovation, adaptability, and future-oriented strategies.

By setting ambitious goals, forging strategic partnerships, and focusing on impactful research, UTM is well-positioned to become a global leader in research and development by 2030. Through these efforts, the university will continue to drive innovations that enrich lives, strengthen communities, and create a brighter future for Malaysia and the world.