To further promote research culture and industry collaboration, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) recently held a two-day event that brought together student researchers, academics, industry representatives, and the school community under one roof.
The Festival of Ideas@Student Research Day 2026 (FOI@SRD 2026), organized through the Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Technology, sought to achieve several objectives. The event was intended to strengthen research and innovation by providing undergraduate and postgraduate students with a platform to present their research findings; enhance university–industry relations through the exchange of ideas, exploration of collaborations and career opportunities; nurture young talent through knowledge transfer and exposure to technologies such as robotics; and showcase UMT’s expertise and contributions to research, innovation and community development.
The festival carrying the theme Sustainable Innovations: Exploring Green Solutions for the Future featured three main sub-programmes: Student Research Day (SRD), University–Industry Engagement Day (UIED) and Nurturing Young Talent (NYT). Together, they connected academic research with industry needs and extended science and technology learning opportunities to younger generations.
SRD provided undergraduate and postgraduate students with a platform to present their research findings and innovative discoveries to audiences and evaluators. Through presentations and feedback, students had opportunities to strengthen their research communication skills, improve their presentations and share knowledge with the academic community.
UIED focused on strengthening UMT’s engagement with industry through technology exhibitions, a career carnival, roundtable discussions and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and letters of intent (LoIs) signing ceremonies. The programme provided opportunities for researchers and industry representatives to exchange ideas, explore potential collaborations and discuss employment opportunities.
Meanwhile, NYT extended UMT’s knowledge-transfer efforts to the school community through hands-on robotics and coding workshops conducted by UMT academics. The initiative introduced secondary school students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while encouraging the development of skills relevant to technology and innovation.
FOI@SRD 2026 recorded 274 participants across its three sub-programmes, comprising 114 participants in SRD, 100 in UIED and 60 in NYT. The NYT component also involved students from 11 primary schools in the Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus areas, extending the festival’s reach to younger learners.
UMT Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ikhwanuddin bin Abdullah, said FOI@SRD 2026’s concept aligned with the Ministry of Higher Education’s aspirations.
“The concept was timely, in light of the ministry’s call for universities to bring the culture of ideas and innovations closer to the public,” he said. “Thus, this year’s edition introduced a more integrated festival approach by combining student research presentations with university-industry networking and knowledge-transfer activities for younger generations, bringing relevant parties together in a high-impact knowledge ecosystem.”
This integrated approach also provided opportunities to identify collaboration initiatives that could continue beyond the festival.
“FOI@SRD 2026 reaffirmed UMT’s commitment to continuously exploring ideas and sustainable solutions,” Prof. Muhammad Ikhwan said.
by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Sofiah Hamzah
Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Technology