YB Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir
Minister of Higher Education (MOHE)
The University Research & Innovation Investment Summit (URIIS) 2026 marks a defining milestone in Malaysia’s journey toward a knowledge-driven and innovation-led economy. It reflects our collective determination to strengthen the role of higher education as a catalyst for sustainable growth, technological advancement, and global competitiveness.
Through this initiative, the Ministry of Higher Education reaffirms its commitment to transforming Malaysia’s universities into investment-ready innovation hubs that connect ideas to impact and research to results. Our vision is clear - to create a higher-education ecosystem that nurtures talent, drives enterprise, and translates knowledge into tangible contributions to the nation’s prosperity.
Led by the Department of Higher Education (JPT) and coordinated by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) through its Centre for Industrial Relations & Networks (CiRNeT) as the Main Secretariat, URIIS 2026 unites all 20 public universities, ministries, industries, investors, and development agencies. This collaboration ensures that Malaysia’s research, innovation, and investment priorities are aligned under a single national platform that bridges academia with the economy.
URIIS 2026 embodies the Ministry’s aspiration to convert research outcomes into opportunities for investment, commercialisation, and entrepreneurship - ensuring that the collective work of our universities contributes directly to Malaysia’s GDP, enhances innovation capacity, and supports long-term national resilience. It also aligns with the nation’s major policy frameworks - the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMKe-13), the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - integrating research excellence, sustainability, and inclusivity.
At the heart of URIIS 2026 are strategic collaborations that demonstrate Malaysia’s readiness to link knowledge creation with economic impact. Among these are:
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) with NXP Malaysia, Siemens, and MIDA - advancing agro-technology and semiconductor innovation;
- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) with SanDisk, Intel, and Oppstar - anchoring Malaysia’s semiconductor and microelectronics growth; and
- Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) with Arctic Nest Oy (Finland) and Yayasan Hasanah - enhancing education technology and sustainable learning systems.
These partnerships exemplify how Malaysian universities are co-creating value with industry, government, and international collaborators - translating research into commercial potential, investment attraction, and policy innovation.
As Minister of Higher Education, I urge all universities, industries, and investors to view URIIS 2026 not merely as an event, but as a national movement - one that transforms our higher-education institutions into engines of innovation, growth, and sustainable prosperity for Malaysia.
Let URIIS 2026 be remembered as the moment Malaysia unlocked the true value of university research - not as a cost, but as an investment in the nation’s future.