Future views (FUT)

The following questions were asked to gather views on the present situation of UIC in Malaysia. All respondents were very attentive and critical of this area. A number of suggestions were highlighted as a mean to sustain effective UIC linkages in Malaysia. The factors which emerged from the interview were grouped into several themes.

What are the sustainability criteria for UIC growth in Malaysia?

 Spin-off from university

Respondents from the industry suggested that for the benefit of the university and the researchers, either an internal or external spin-off should be one of the key goals to sustain UICs in Malaysia. Interview findings found that spin-off as a result of UIC is still at its infancy stage.

 Incentives and structure

The majority of researchers highlighted that there is a need to change the incentive structure for university researchers. These include:

 Recruitment of senior and experienced industrial professionals to university. This

helps the university to create better connection and exposure to industry needs through the leadership of industrial professionals.

 To regulate placement or internships for university researchers to local industry

on regular basis for example during sabbatical leave. This helps to create more consensus in understanding and connectivity with industry partners needs and wants.

 Support on the set up of an industry collaborative advisory board within the

university in structuring curriculum that fits to industry requirements.

 Restructuring of university incentive structures emphasising researcher‟s

contribution in developing innovative capabilities for industry besides publication works.

 Re–orienting research path to meet industry needs

According to the respondents, weak collaborations are due to lack of visitation and networking and consequently deliver little commercial value. One reason is

university researchers‟ are too comfortable in the university environment. Several

suggestions were provided by respondents to reorient researchers to meet industries needs, these include:

 Increase the level of correlation between university research by converging

 Setting up of a coordinating mechanism/unit to assist university in reorienting

their research towards industrial needs and subsequently expose graduates to some level of industrial experience.

 Stronger government policy

Many universities and industry respondents believe that due to loose government regulations; foreign research companies and university are sought after for consultation and expertise. This issue had created some dissatisfaction in a number of respondents. In response, they suggested that there should be enforcement regulating government linked companies (GLC) to procure services or expertise from local universities. Others suggestions to strengthen UIC linkages, included ensuring clarity in governing UIC policy, compelling universities to establish stronger links with industry and reorienting key performance indicators (KPIs) in universities to be more heavily weighted towards industrial cooperative research.

 Centralised electronic databases

Industry and university respondents both recommended the creation of a centralised electronic database of university researchers and industrial partners to facilitate the selection of potential collaborators. Analysis of the existing systems in place revealed that many universities do not have or are in the midst of compiling such databases and none are centralised, easily searchable or comprehensive according to U5 and I2. This highlights the need for the government to create such databases to provide efficiency in identifying potential university and industry collaborators.

University researchers should be equipped with industrial experience. What is your view?

This notion highlights the need for university researchers to be more exposed to industry so that they comprehend their needs. Industry respondents suggested a need for university researchers to be better equipped with industrial experiences in order to facilitate UIC. As commented by respondents, university researchers whom are exposed to industry are seen as more effective collaborators because they are equipped to understand what business needs particularly related to the commercial aspects. One respondent suggested a potential solution was for the university researchers to undergo attachments with companies.

Amongst all respondents, only one university respondent held the view that the universities role is only to innovate while the industry role is to commercialise. It was obvious throughout this particular interview that this partnership was not as effective as it could have been. In comparison, majority of respondents positively agreed that university researchers equipped with industrial exposure have a deeper understanding of industries needs.

Do you view project management skills contribute to collaboration success? Why?

Positive reaction was noted to this question. The majority agreed that project management skill contribute to the management of project scope, schedule, cost and even contractual agreements. Furthermore, project management aided in monitoring progress and mitigating issues. These observations are consistent with the literature findings in sections 2.4 and 3.3.2.

A university and industry respondents both commented that a project manager needs to be both a people manager and technical expert to contribute his/her interpersonal and organisational skills in managing and handling various people in the research environment. In order to carry out the tasks, a university respondent highlighted the need to design an appropriate methodology which should be acceptable to both university and industry as the key to managing UIC projects.