By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 27 August 2012 – The National Universiti of Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) have undertaken to continue and enhance their cooperation in scientific research and academic publications began since 2009.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this was signed here today which include publishing academic works, organising workshops, participation in Scientific Expeditions, placement of students in industrial training programmes and staff training.

The MOU was signed in a brief ceremony by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of UKM, Professor Dato’ Dr Rahmah Mohamed and her counterpart in UPM, Professor Dato’ Ir Mohd Saleh Jaafar. The Dean of UKM’s Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), Professor Dr Sahrim Hj Ahmad and Director of UPM’s Institute of Biosciences, Professor Dr Abdul Rahman Osman also signed the MOU.

The two universities are keen to intensify their collaboration in Biosphere Parks research. They will both collaborate in a study of ferns in Malaysia to publish a Guide to Peninsular Malaysia Medicinal and Edible Ferns soon.

UKM have since 1988 developed its Fernaria or Fern Garden in the Campus here which is a haven for undergraduates and post graduate students to study ferns while regular school field trips are also organised there.

Prof Rahmah said UKM will continue to provide facilities for researchers from UPM and other institutions and urged scientists to undertake comprehensive multi-disciplinary research by not confining themselves to just one discipline.

She suggested they form study groups to coordinate their joint efforts saying that many local researchers can share their findings such as samples collected from laboratories maintained by UKM at Fraser’s Hill, Langkawi and Tasik Cini.

The enhanced collaboration is an effort to raise funds for research such as grants given by UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The private sector has also been afforded better opportunities to assist in R&D due to the desire for innovations among researchers, Prof Rahmah said.

Prof Mohd Saleh shared Prof Rahmah’s sentiments to open its doors to researchers from across the country citing UPM’s huge tracts of forests which are being studied by scientists from around the world.

He said a lot of resources at local universities are still underutilised as there are duplications in research. UPM, he said has a policy to share investment funds for research with the hope that it will reduce redundancies.