A partnership aspiring to contribute to the advancement of medical science and healthcare solutions was forged between UTAR and Edwards Lifesciences Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony, held on 31 January 2024 at UTAR Kampar Campus.

Signing the document on behalf of Edwards Lifesciences Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd were Senior Director of Business Service Centre Mr Adrian Lee and Director of Talent Acquisition – JAPAC Region Ms Maggie Chong. Meanwhile, the signees of UTAR were its President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat and Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong.

Prof Dato’ Ewe said, in his speech, “Today, we come together to forge a partnership that will not only benefit our students and faculty but also contribute to the advancement of medical science and healthcare solutions in the Asia Pacific region. As a university, our mission has always been to create an environment that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Partnering with Edwards Lifesciences aligns with our commitment to excellence in education and research. This collaboration will provide our students with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research, gain hands-on experience, and work alongside industry experts.”

When mentioning UTAR Hospital, Prof Dato’ Ewe highlighted that UTAR Hospital is set up to not only serve the community with affordable and quality healthcare services, but it will also function as a teaching hospital, research centre, and clinical training site. Therefore, the president also expressed hope for UTAR Hospital to establish collaboration with Edwards Lifesciences Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd in the near future, as an extended effort to advance medical science and healthcare solutions, especially with its uniqueness of offering Western Medicine, and Traditional and Complementary Medicine, consisting of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurvedic, and traditional Malay medicine. Prof Dato’ Ewe also mentioned that the potential collaboration will also benefit UTAR’s medical and life sciences students as it will enable them to learn more about the industry’s advancements and pave the way for the university to update its syllabi and programmes.

Mr Adrian Lee expressed, “I believe this collaboration is pointing towards more future partnerships, and how we can enhance our relationships, and support one another. I hope that this partnership will also strengthen our internship programme, so we can recruit and nurture more talents for the industry, especially now in the era of 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution), and so there is a need for more talents in IT and technical areas as well. Today’s MoU is also a testimony of our strong partnership, and we hope that this collaboration will reinforce our aim to promote, support, and transform the community into this ever-changing technology, and nurture the next generation of talent for the multitalented workforce.”

The MoU will involve the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT), with the key research area focusing on medical devices. The collaboration will initiate joint projects involving collaborative research, shared expertise, and joint development of research and training. It will also facilitate the exchange of ideas and facilities, attachment and mutual visits by staff members to pursue research and curriculum development, and jointly organise seminars, forum conferences, and workshops relevant to the industry. Employment for UTAR graduates is also secured, as the MoU facilitates recruitment for industrial placement. Benefits are also extended to the community, through community engagement projects for better societal contribution.

The ceremony was witnessed by guests from Edwards Lifesciences Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, namely IT Senior Director Teck Sing Koh, IT Director Daniel Ng, IT Director Aries Ang, IT Director Fayez Ullah, Human Resource Senior Manager Thinakaran Raveendran, Finance Senior Manager Samantha See, Strategy and Business Development Senior Manager Andrina Cheng, IT Manager Iyris Voon, Supply Chain Manager Cindy Cheong, IT Senior Analyst Wei Wei Koo, and Talent Acquisition Senior Specialist Hafiz Aziz.

Also present from UTAR were UTAR Hospital CEO Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) Deputy Dean for Student Development and Industrial Training Dr Choo Peng Yin, FICT Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Assoc Prof Ts Dr Goh Hock Guan, Office of International Affairs Deputy Director Dr Chen, I-Chi, and staff.