Abstract

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has been recognised by the Malaysian Government as a Research University since early 2007. With the research university status, the university must play major roles in the enhancement of centres of excellence in focus research areas; in the development of world class research outputs; in attracting quality post-graduate students; and in creating conducive environment for research and innovation. One of the strategic plans developed in response to the need for change is by managing research activities based on the Research and Innovation (R&I) continuum. Within this framework, the continuum provides equal emphasis on: a) the development of ideas and research proposals; b) the evaluation of and maintaining the quality of research proposal; c) strengthening research and networking activities; d) implementing pre-commercialisation programs; and e) emphasising on outreach and commercialisation activities. The implementation of R&I continuum requires systematic change in the mindset of the university’s top management and academic leaders towards managing research. Some of the changes that have already taken place include the establishment of research clusters and groups within the academia; the introduction of new types of research grants namely the operational research fund and the university research grant; the enhancement of pre-commercialisation and commercialisation activities support system; and the annual assessment of R&I performance based on outputs. This paper will highlight some of the major efforts towards this transformation and outline some of the challenges and successful experiences.