Open Ceremony for UTHM-Fraunhofer Innovation Laboratory

Date:
29^th January 2019

Place/Venue:
Innovation Laboratory, FKEE

Participants:
Martin Rabe, Project Leader for Intelligent Systems in Medical Technology in Malaysia (RAISE-MED); Mohd Nurul Azammi Mohd Nudri, myForesight® deputy director; Professor Ts. Dr. Ruzairi Abdul Rahim, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), UTHM and Professor Dato ‘Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim, Fraunhofer’s Senior Advisor in Malaysia.

Description:
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) is moving forward with the establishment of the UTHM-Fraunhofer Innovation Laboratory, a laboratory that serves as a technology transfer station that allows its staff and students to collaborate with industry experts to increase academic, research, development and consultation. This effort is in line with the 11th Malaysia Plan to strengthen the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology in the local industry, as well as the realization of the University-Industry cooperation relationship. UTHM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr. Wahid Razzaly also believed that with this collaboration, research activities among staff and students could be enhanced with the help of experts in the mechatronics field of the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design (IEM). Also, Fraunhofer’s IEM’s expertise in finding innovative methods and tools for smart product development, production systems, and services which is essential for UTHM.

The Vice-Chancellor also added that with this innovative laboratory, the process of transferring technology from the industry to the university could be carried out directly. the Staff was expected to take the opportunity to visit the laboratory to study product development based on innovation and engineering practices developed by Fraunhofer IEM. This collaboration will also benefit the local community especially schools around Parit Raja and Batu Pahat through social responsibility (CSR) activities that can be done to enhance the interest of the young generation in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), explained by Vice-Chancellor. The opening ceremony of the UTHM – Fraunhofer Innovation Laboratory held on January 29 was further fuelled by the idea sharing session through a keynote address and dialogue session titled “INDUSTRY4WRD: Perspectives of Industry 4.0.” The laboratory opening ceremony attracted more than 100 participants comprising local industry players in the fields of electrical and electronics, mechanical engineering, petroleum and gas, food and beverages, textiles, packaging, plastics, ceramics, and timber.