The previous agreements included a memorandum of understanding on higher education and a pact between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Securities Commission of Malaysia to strengthen ties and identify cross-border opportunities through the capital market.
The organization charged with driving Malaysia's economic transformation hopes to create stronger collaboration with the prestigious universities in India.
Jaffri Ibrahim, CEO of the Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Center (Crest), told he wants IIT professors and PhD candidates to collaborate with technology companies established in Malaysia, including Intel, Altera, and Avago. This could be achieved via Crest's US$33 million (100 million ringgit) grants program, backed by the Malaysian government, which sponsors electrical and engineering academic research projects implemented by companies."
He added that both parties would have to find common ground in areas such as funding, and the sharing of intellectual property and licensing. Typically, Crest will fund the research and take a slice of the licensing and commercialization of any associated products, he explained.
"We do have a link with IIT. They actually sent some of their lecturers to Penang to conduct a couple of courses, and the feedback I got was they really know their stuff. That's something we should rethink--how to engage with IIT," he said.
"Advantage is that we have all the brand-name companies that Bangalore may not have access to. That was the IIT's main interest in [Crest] in the earlier days," Jaffri said.
However, in order to be successful, both parties would have to find common ground in areas such as funding, and sharing of intellectual property and licensing