Events Calendar
Sustainability for Diverse and Dispersed Community
Universities are working in a dynamic and changing landscape of today’s education. In reconfiguring universities for the future, universities need to ensure its relevance as institute of higher learning towards civil, social, economic and moral issues. In response to the calls around the globe for universities to be deeply engaged and networked with societies around it, University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) had strategically positioned itself by establishing a strategic focus on sustainability for diverse and dispersed community. Being the premier public university in Sarawak, UNIMAS presence in the state plays a very significant and impactful roles in transforming the community via various avenues such as knowledge transfer programme, technology transfer programme and university social responsibilities programme.
The establishment of UNIMAS Community Sustainability Centre, formerly known as UNIMAS Engage, in 2015, aims to lead and coordinate industries and communities related development projects and activities by linking UNIMAS innovative products/services/expertise to solve industry and community problems, and also supporting towards achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The community innovation programme characteristics are based on Blue Ocean Strategy Principles that are high impact, low cost, rapid execution and most importantly, must be sustainable. The community innovation programme framework comprises of four major elements, namely knowledge transfer, technology transfer, university social responsibility and service learning.
University for Society
Universities have responsibilities in the way we are making a difference to the social and economic well-being of our communities through our teaching, research, public events and community activities. We are taking socially responsible decisions that have real, beneficial, measurable impact on the people and its surroundings. With the current challenge to restore the credibility of public universities and higher education, the role of University for Society is being emphasized a lot by the Minister of Education.
UNIMAS strategic theme of Sustainability for Diverse and Dispersed Community is our commitment towards enabling sustainability of the people and community in Sarawak. The principle of having a quadruple helix collaboration between UNIMAS, Government, Industry and Community is our strategy in leveraging the smart partners resources, knowledge, expertise and experiences in making the high impact of community transformation. UNIMAS niche areas in Biodiversity & Environmental Conservation, Information Communication & Creative Technology as well as Sustainable Community Transformation, is uniquely contextualised to the needs of people in Sarawak.
UNIMAS’ efforts to transfer the knowledge and technology developed by its respective researchers and academia for the community aims to improve the social-economic well-being of the community, increase the income and purchasing power especially the B40, creation of jobs opportunities, enculturation of entrepreneurship as well as increase the productivity. UNIMAS active participation in securing community grants from various government agencies has successfully translated into various technologies developed by its researchers such as Mini Hydro technology for Kampung Assum, Gula Apong Modern Stove for Kampung Pinggan Jaya, Rain Water Harvesting System And Proper Sanitation System for Penan community at Long Lamai, Agro Tourism for Kampung Bako and Kampung Buntal, Automated Pepper Grader and Efficient Pepper Dryer for Pepper industry players, Mini Water Treatment System for school at Ulu Balingian.
In line with promoting the culture of lifelong learning as stipulated in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan, UNIMAS is committed in outreaching the community to provide sharing session, short courses and trainings to upskill and reskill the community with the latest know-how technology especially related with Digital Economy. UNIMAS had been working very closely with Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development (MIED) and Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) to provide awareness programmes on Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), and also trainings for digital inclusivity with various community in Sarawak. This programme aims to raise awareness about IR4.0 technology among the community and industry in Sarawak, and also to encourage producers in Sarawak to automate and adapt Industry 4.0 in the manufacture of timber. Our experts had conducted the awareness programme for Timber, Gula Apong, Kek Lapis, Food Packaging and Small Medium Enterprise (SME) industries. The university sees this as interactive sessions between the community and industry, with the academia to exchange, acquire and update skills, interests, knowledge between parties involved. It is also a learning process for the academia to understand the needs, issues and challenges faced by the community and industry to embark on IR4.0.
THE University Impact Rankings
UNIMAS contribution towards the society well-being is reflected well in the recent THE University Impact Rankings 2019. THE University Impact Rankings measure global universities’ success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) via using carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach and stewardship. UNIMAS has been ranked #201 in the world and ranked for SDGs and ra the rankings recognise the work universities do for the good of society to tackle some of the most pressing issues. There are nine Malaysian universities listed in the inaugural THE University Impact Rankings 2019, and UNIMAS has been ranked #6.
A Community-Driven University
University roles within the community emphasises the importance of the needs of academia to constantly communicate with community to identify their needs. By having the needs articulated by the community, the university needs to look into opportunity to transfer the knowledge and technology developed by the experts at university with the research outcomes primarily benefiting the community organization. This also requires active participation from both community and university.
Prepared by: By Mohamad Kadim Suaidi & Noraziah Abdul Wahab
