2.0 Introduction

In this chapter we will discuss the general contribution of the university to R&D, especially in a developing country such as Malaysia. A brief historical background of university development and obstacles which cause the university to undergo various changes in order to meet the needs of the time is provided for the national development. Research concepts of established universities in the developed countries are different with the developing countries in term of the mechanics of research funding and the research fields in local universities. The various categories of research projects are carried out by universities and are based on academic and national development needs of the country. In addition, the process of transfer of new research findings by the universities to the industry is very significant for the developing countries. Nowadays, the modern university will maintain its traditional role as a learning centre and at the same time become an organization for national development through its R&D programmes.

2.1 University R&D

Research and Development (R&D) is defined as discovering new knowledge or idea about products, processes and services and then applying that knowledge or idea to create new and improved products, processes and services to fill the market needs. Research is important in advancing the human activities, and it is a vital for national development. Traditional universities emphasize mostly on education and limited to basic disciplines, whereas in research universities concentrate on innovation in addition to education. University research has been most productive when it is driven by curiosity or the search of knowledge rather than by need. The value of fundamental research is difficult to demonstrate or discover until the development of the ideas has progressed or until its application is shown. Furthermore, development investigations are much more expensive than the original fundamental research. This is because laboratory equipment is not large enough to demonstrate, as in the case of the engineering sciences, the feasibility to the industry. The applied research must be worked out to the extent where it can demonstrate its commercial value. This scaling up operation is dependent on availability of resources because of the quantity of material and space required. In spite of this, the university is now expected to be actively involved in applied research as well as basic research.

2.1.1 University Development

The word of university is a derivative from the Latin term “universitas” meaning a community or corporation which in a modern sense is associated with learning and education. In the beginning, learning was limited to theological subjects because of the strong religion influence which was in fact the cause for the creation of learning centres. Over the centuries, various transformations took place in the university purely to meet the desire of religious bodies, royalties, and revolutionaries to serve a particular purpose.

From the end of the 18th century the rise of academics and new knowledge had expanded the traditional concept of the university as a place for mainly humanistic studies. The university is no longer considered as a social factor but rather more as a development instrument. According to Professor Juma, universities and other higher learning centres are the key players in domesticating knowledge and diffusing it into the economy. But they can only accomplish this through close linkages with the private sector. Universities need to change from being conventional sources of graduates to become engines of community development. In other words, they will need to become “developmental universities”, working directly within the communities in which they are located.

In the developing countries, the main emphasis of a university has been towards teaching, particularly at the undergraduate level. The university is often viewed as a training institution for the country’s manpower needs. But, fortunately such a scenario is rapidly changing as the universities in the developing countries take a more positive attitude towards research. However, one must realize that universities in the developing countries are still young and are in the early stages of development as compared to universities in the developed countries. In the developed country, research in universities has become well established and has reached a stage where it can be critically evaluated. On the other hand, new universities require priority in building their research strengths as no university can hope to become truly a learning centre of excellence without the necessary research inputs. This is because teaching and research are not independent but correspond to one another.

2.1.2 Research Capability

The level of university R&D in the developing countries in a majority of cases is not very high, basically due to the lack of properly trained manpower. Moreover, universities in developing countries are not properly equipped. The necessary research centres were established to cater the needs of certain sectors considered important for national development. The productivity growth of a country can be associated with bringing in the right technology from abroad. As an example, Japan is a world leader in licensing patents from other countries as well as patenting its own inventions. A sophisticated research base is necessary so that continuing expertise in evaluating foreign technology is available to ensure that the right technology is actually obtained. Research cannot be carried out plainly, there must be a lengthy time required to recognize and define a problem, to evaluate and implement the findings. This can minimize the unwanted or unintended research outcome and also can reduce the research cost.

In this aspect the universities in Malaysia have a major responsibility to provide quality post-graduate education to those who seek research careers. With few expectations, it is now possible to pursue post-graduate studies in all the Malaysian universities. The number of post-graduate students, both local and overseas is steadily increasing year by year. We would like to see a greater number of local candidates, but the major constraint is the lack of sponsorship. If more funds for post-graduate training are made available, either in the form of research awards or fellowships, their intake can be immediately increased. The effects will be an expansion in university research activities benefitting the national development.

As a centre of higher learning, a university should be considered as part of the overall national research network. At present, universities are left on their own to conduct research and to determine the research priority in terms of knowledge gained and the relevance to support national development. A university cannot afford to isolate itself if it is to become an agent of development for the community. It is now aware of these are the problems confronting the nation that require solution. Whether the university succeeds in fulfilling the new roles that it has to assume will also depend to a large extent on how the community at large views the present day university or reacts to the idea that a university is also a national research organization.

2.1.3 Research Budget

The funding mechanism is a major determinant of the kinds of research carried out by the research institutions. At present, nearly all the research in the universities was funded internally from annual grants provided by the Ministry of Higher Education. Two categories of funds are available to the university: (1) short term research and (2) long term research. The short term grants are provided in the form of seed money to support individual researchers doing specific research and the long term grants support broad coherent programmes and cover facilities as well as scientific personnel. With both funding mechanisms, the university while engaging in research for development can continue to pursue research in basic disciplines so that its ro