KUCHING: The Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) project is potentially an important forum in South East Asia, particularly Sarawak, says Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohamad Kudim Suaidi.
According to him, this is because the state has plans to expand its capabilities in developing the energy sector and Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) targets to have 10 high impact industries.
“This will complement the development plan and provide downstream opportunities for SMEs,” he said before officially opening the First Asia Pacific Responsible Business Innovation workshop here yesterday.
“Essentially the national project is expected to increase demand in professional manpower and Unimas is poised to become a hub for knowledge workers to fuel the development and progress of SCORE,” he added.
He further said the Responsibility Projects workshop focuses on developing an important forum to look into Responsibility Research and Innovation or RRI.
He said in the context of Asia Pacific region, approaching research and innovation responsibly such as by being responsible scientists, researchers, business planners, innovators or professionals is what Unimas practises.
As such, he revealed that Unimas has undertaken several systematic measures to ensure the disbursement of grants for research and innovation initiatives for projects that articulate and demonstrate scientific importance and generate impact to improve society’s well-being.
“Unimas has been recognised internationally as an institution that integrates strongly in its approach in stimulating and encouraging research that contributes to community development and has won prestigious awards like e-Bario Innovation Village under the Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovations (ISITI), and two awards in the 1st Global Telecentre Awards organised by Telecentre.org Foundation.”
He said these are some of the outstanding examples of Unimas version of RRI and he hoped the workshop would lead to substantial contributions that can be beneficial not just for Responsibility Project but also for European Commission and European experts who attempt to highlight the seriousness of RRI in the context of various practices.
Earlier, in her speech, coordinator of Responsibility Team of Unimas Dr Rohaya Mohd Nor hoped the workshop will allow the Malaysian research team to contribute to the Responsibility Project, particularly in understanding common shared values pertinent to RRI from the context of Asia Pacific region.
Unimas is one of the three institutions from non-EU countries representing Asia Pacific region. The main project leader is Dr Zaharya Menevidis of Fraunhofer Institute, Berlin, Germany.
The project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.
The Responsibility Consortium consists of 13 partners (10 institutions are from EU countries and another three institutions from non-EU countries).