More funding needed for R&D at higher education institutions, says Khaled Nordin

KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry wants more funding for research and development, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).

The Higher Education Minister said this was necessary as the existing allocation is less than 1% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"It's not enough. The allocation must be increased and multiplied. Without it, Malaysia would not be able to compete" he said.

Mohamed Khaled added that there is a need for varsities to be relevant, and said that the country's higher education institutions (HEIs) must play its role in solving problems faced by society.

"Commercialisation of fundamental research must be carried out so the community can make use of the findings of the researchers and (it will) not just end up stored in the library.

"There is also a need to push forward research collaborations between HEIs instead of working in silos to produce high quality, well thought out research findings," he told a press conference after officiating at the 5th Universiti Malaya Research Carnival (UMRC) at Universiti Malaya on Monday (Jan 9) morning.

In his speech, Mohamed Khaled said that research and development shouldn't be a race for prestige or journal publications.

"I want to see results and tangible solutions," he added.

The event also saw Universiti Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) revceiving the Sirim ISO27001:2013 (ISMS) accreditation certification.