KUCHING: Construction of the permanent i-CATS University College campus, which is set to become the region’s most advanced technology hub, is expected to begin this year.
Its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi, said the campus will be built near Kampung Trombol, Telaga Air.
When completed the campus will house four faculties, namely the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, the Faculty of Energy Transition, the Faculty of Agrotechnology, and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
“At present, the permanent i-CATS campus project is at the design stage, and the university management is gathering input from the faculties identified to relocate and occupy the new campus,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after the Vice-Chancellor’s Address 2026 at the Tan Sri Aziz Hall, i-CATS University College, here today.
He added that the new campus will be built on a 250-acre plot of land that has been identified by the Sarawak Government.
“We expect that if all planning proceeds smoothly, construction works will begin in the third or fourth quarter of this year. The construction period is estimated to take between three and three and a half years,” he said.
Regarding the financial allocation for the project, Kadim said he could not elaborate on the budget involved as it is a government allocation.
“The budget is already in place, but I cannot speak in detail about the amount,” he said.
Kadim added that the existing i-CATS University College campus at Jalan Stampin Timur will function as a city campus, as only four faculties will relocate to the new campus in the first phase.
“Other faculties will remain at this campus because they do not involve the use of technology and laboratory facilities. Therefore, this campus will become our city campus.
“When there is additional allocation from the government, we also plan to build a second-phase in the future and relocate several more faculties there,” he stressed.
During the 27th Convocation Ceremony of i-CATS University College last year, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that the new i-CATS University College campus would also become the most advanced university technology campus in the region.
It is in line with the government’s efforts to strengthen the higher education ecosystem and the development of the state’s human capital.
According to Abang Johari, the large-scale campus development reflects Sarawak’s commitment to providing world-class educational infrastructure to produce a young generation that is knowledgeable, skilled and ready to face global challenges.
He also informed that the campus would be built with an allocation of RM300 million and is currently at the final stage of preparing the concept design before the tender process and appointment of contractors are carried out.
i-CATS University College currently offers 30 academic programmes, namely two foundation programmes, 10 diploma programmes, seven bachelor’s degree programmes, six master’s degree programmes, and five PhD programmes.
