By UOW Malaysia KDU

The UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College’s futuristic design campus at Batu Kawan will be officially launched on Wednesday 16 June 2022.

Penang Chief Minister YAB Mr Chow Kon Yeow will officiate at the launch ceremony which will also be graced by Professor Patricia Davidson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wollongong Australia and Mr. Noel Cornish AM, Chairman of the Board, UOW Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Also present at the launch ceremony will be Ms. Marisa Mastroinanni, UOW Global Enterprises (UOWGE) Group CEO, UOWGE CEO Asia cum UOW Malaysia KDU CEO Ms. Jennifer Ng, Senior Professor Gursel Alici, Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, UOW Australia, Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, and senior staff of UOW Malaysia KDU from the Selangor and Penang campuses, industry partners, research collaborators, educators, and friends of UOW Malaysia KDU.

This newest iconic campus of UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College epitomises the very best of campus life for both local and international university students. The 10-acre campus boasts 23 classrooms, two modern lecture theatres, two smart classrooms, a co-study lab, seven computer labs, hospitality training suites, an internet-of-things lab, two science labs, two examination halls and an expansive library with amply seating areas equipped with power points for teams of students to power their gadgets and hold discussions. The Batu Kawan campus also has a design studio, technical drafting studio and 3D animation studio. This premium study environment for students is topped with plenty of open spaces, not to mention a football field, garden and a gymnasium, on the campus proper.

The UOW Malaysia KDU Batu Kawan campus offers a variety of programs ranging from Foundation programs to postgraduate programs in various disciplines. Study years for students include 1+3, 2+2, and 3+1 models in which students can complete the entire program or part of their studies in Malaysia and the rest in Australia. Students can even study in any of the UOW global campuses for one semester or participate in a two-week mobility program.

Professor Patricia M. Davidson, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong said, “These arrangements are possible because UOW Malaysia KDU is part of the University of Wollongong’s global network of campuses, students, graduates, and academics. UOW delivers world-class education to students in Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and China. We have collaborations with over 400 universities in 45 countries for research, teaching, credit transfer arrangements, studying abroad, student exchange programs, and the delivery of offshore programs. Throughout our 60-year history, UOW has built an international reputation for world-class research and exceptional teaching quality. The location of the Batu Kawan campus within the Batu Kawan Industrial Park is a major advantage as over 30 multinational corporations and large hi-tech local companies are neighbours of the campus. We intend to leverage on this proximity to promote research and project collaboration with these industries. Our plan is to build the Batu Kawan campus into an engineering and innovation hub in the Northern region of Malaysia.”

“We have already begun to collaborate with various semiconductor multinational companies and local hi-tech companies on projects in a variety of semi-conductor and IR 4.0 fields. With all these collaborative initiatives, it is envisaged that the Batu Kawan campus will become a focal point of teaching, research, and knowledge transfer in IR 4.0 and beyond, on top of elevating the quality of Penang’s human capital,” added Prof Davidson.

As the pandemic settles down to its endemic phase, UOW Malaysia KDU’s Batu Kawan campus is set to grow into a hub for experimentation on new, emerging technologies, focussing on research into IR 4.0 innovations. UOW aims to create and nurture high-quality links with industry to work towards common goals and missions of driving innovations. The UOW network of campuses are striving to build a foundation of strong interaction and engagement with industry partners to enhance collaborative projects that are geared towards finding solutions that will solve real world problems.

Towards this end, in conjunction with the launch of this campus, there will be a panel session of industry experts on the theme – ‘Beyond Industrial Revolution 4.0 and Towards Sustainability’. The panellists will discuss how education and industry can collaborate to nurture graduates by exposing students to industry culture so that they can have a pulse on emerging technologies while studying and be industry ready when they graduate.

Moderated by Dr. Khoh Soo Beng, Director, PMO Innovations Sdn. Bhd., who has more than 28 years of industrial experience with a wide spectrum of roles in manufacturing and design engineering, the Industry Panel Session will feature speakers who will be sharing their industry experience and knowledge. The speakers are: Mr. Paul Sanda, Minister-Counsellor (Commercial) and Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Malaysia & Brunei, Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Australian High Commission, Mr. Tan Eng Tong, Chief Executive Officer Penang Skills Development Centre, Mr. Gary Leong, Senior Director, Analytics Intelligence Solutions of ViTrox, Vitrox Corporation Berhad, Dr. Ong Sze Wei, Design Engineering Director of Intel Technologies and Senior Professor Gursel Alici, Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Wollongong Australia. The panel session is intended to be a forum for the exchange of perspectives among experts with diverse perspectives and provide all stakeholders with insights into overcoming the challenges of talent shortage in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and beyond.