KUCHING: Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) have strengthened their collaboration to support researchers, students and innovators through the establishment of a Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC).
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Lau Hieng Ho, said the establishment of the TISC marked an important milestone in strengthening the university’s innovation ecosystem.
He said research could create greater value when it moved beyond academic publication and was translated into practical applications for society, industry and the economy.
“It takes more than creativity and discovery. It requires the knowledge and mechanisms to protect intellectual property, and carry innovation through to commercial application,” he said.
The collaboration will provide researchers, students and staff with access to patent information, technology search resources and intellectual property (IP) support.
Lau said the support would help turn research outcomes into innovations that could be applied in the real world and brought to market.
He said the partnership also demonstrated what universities and government agencies could achieve through collaboration in strengthening Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem.
“With the TISC in place, we are better positioned to build intellectual property awareness on this campus, and to help good research find its way to real-world outcomes,” he said.
He added that the initiative would help narrow the gap between developing an idea and turning it into a protected and marketable innovation.
The remarks were made during the sharing session titled ‘Unlocking Commercial Value: Integrating Patent Drafting Excellence with Broader IP Rights’, held in conjunction with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MyIPO and Swinburne Sarawak for the establishment of the TISC.
Lau also expressed appreciation to MyIPO for the partnership and its efforts to promote IP awareness and innovation nationwide.
