Opening Ceremony of the Symposium on Progress in Information and Communication Technology (SPICT'09)

December 7, 2009

Researchers, industry practitioners and students in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) gathered at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur to witness the opening ceremony of the Symposium on Progress in Information and Communication Technology (SPICT'09) organised by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) on 7 December 2009.

The symposium which attracted the participation of individuals from all over the world brought together researchers, industry practitioners and students to exchange the latest advances and trends, and to identify and share emerging research topics in the field of ICT. A total of 64 paper submissions from over 31 different institutions in 12 different countries were received for the symposium, of which 31 submissions were accepted after paper review process.

SPICT'09 consisted of 7 sessions offering presentations in diverse areas of ICT such as business IT systems, network infrastructure, algorithm development, vision and image processing, knowledge management, multimedia and e-learning. Two ICT events were held simultaneously over two days in conjunction with SPICT'09. The events were the Workshop on Advances in Intelligent Computing 2009 (WAIC 2009) which was held on the same day as the opening ceremony of SPICT'09 and the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia (MDeC) R&D Exchange Forum which will be held on 8 December 2009.

UTAR President Ir. Professor Dato' Dr. Chuah Hean Teik who was present for the SPICT'09 opening ceremony expressed, "The R&D landscape in Malaysia has transformed greatly in the past few years, where a lot of resources have been channeled in Malaysia to cultivate a vibrant environment for scientific and technological discoveries." He added that UTAR in tandem with the national development, is gaining greater momentum in the University's research intensification effort to transform into a research-intensive university.

"Our faculty members in UTAR are constantly seeking new opportunities, exploring innovative ideas and building new links. We have embraced this culture wholeheartedly and have maintained close collaboration with colleagues from various disciplines locally and worldwide through our Global Research Network and various research initiatives," he said.

He expressed his hopes for the SPICT'09 to present a platform to discuss, explore and allow ideas to cross fertilize to spark new research collaborations amongst the various participating academics and ICT companies.

Malaysian Deputy Minister of Higher Education Dr. Hou Kok Chung who declared opened the symposium said, "It is undeniable that technological advancement is an important tool in developing a nation. Hence, the Government of Malaysia has long recognised that ICT development would serve as an important strategic driver for positioning Malaysia as a competitive knowledge-based economy, and global ICT and multimedia hub."

He congratulated organisers and the sponsors, on their coming together to make the event a success and conveyed his belief that the efforts made by the them in making the event a success would play an important role in fostering the growth of the ICT industry to drive Malaysia's future economic growth.