KUCHING: Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) are strengthening their strategic collaboration to support the 10th International Conference on Communication and Media (i-COME’26), which will be held at the Borneo Cultures Museum from Sept 11 to 13.
The matter was discussed during a courtesy visit by a UUM delegation led by UUM School of Multimedia Technology and Communication (SMMTC) senior lecturer and i-COME director Dr Jamilah Jamal to Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information and UKAS) Datuk Abdullah Saidol at the UKAS headquarters on Tuesday (Aug 18).
i-COME’26 is an international conference bringing together academics, researchers, industry practitioners, policymakers and postgraduate students from Malaysia and various countries.
Among the programmes featured at i-COME’26 is the workshop “Social Media Data Analytics for Beginners”, led by SMMTC Dean Associate Professor Dr Mohd Khairie Ahmad.
The workshop will provide participants with practical exposure to methods of understanding, collecting, extracting and analysing social media data, as well as producing meaningful sentiment analysis.
In this regard, UUM also discussed with UKAS the possibility of assisting in inviting members of the Sarawak media to participate in the workshop, in addition to seeking support for live streaming.
Meanwhile, the courtesy visit also served as a platform for UUM, through SMMTC, to discuss a proposal to establish UKAS as a strategic institutional partner in the field of digital communication.
The collaboration between the two parties has the potential to strengthen networks between academic institutions, the public sector and media practitioners, while creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing, talent development and digital innovation to enhance public communication.
