Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government needs stronger and more direct links with academic institutions such as Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to strengthen its technical capacity, said Deputy State Secretary (Special Duties) Datuk Mohd Hanafiah Mohd Kassim.
He proposed that UMS consider establishing a platform that would allow government agencies to obtain more immediate access to its engineers, scientists and professors when technical advice was required.
He suggested that such cooperation could be formalised through an agreement, particularly to assist government agencies dealing with areas such as forestry, public works and water management.
Hanafiah said better communication between the State Government and UMS would ultimately enable the Government to serve Sabah more effectively.
“The better we understand you, the better we serve you,” he said, stressing that the relationship needed to go beyond conferences and become a more sustained working network.
He said stronger cooperation would also help the Government assess increasingly sophisticated technological innovations before committing public funds, particularly proposals requiring expertise across multiple engineering disciplines.
Hanafiah said government agencies could benefit from closer access to academic expertise when evaluating new technologies and determining whether innovations were suitable for Sabah.
He also urged researchers and engineers to consider local conditions when adapting technologies developed elsewhere, noting that differences in environmental conditions could affect the performance of technologies in Sabah and Sarawak.
