KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is looking to universities as potential testbeds for low altitude economy (LAE) technologies as it develops the emerging sector, while considering a suitable site for its proposed Unmanned Valley.
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin said universities could provide a relatively safe environment for testing new technologies while bringing together young talent, researchers and entrepreneurs.
“I think universities are the right place because young people are interested. They can be the players, they can be the industry, and they can also start their businesses on campus,” he told reporters at the kick-off of the Malaysian Aerospace Roadmap Development for LAE and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) digitalisation
Sim said university campuses could provide opportunities to test potential commercial applications of unmanned aircraft technologies.
“They can carry out deliveries. They can be entrepreneurs delivering coffee every day across their campuses. I think it is a good idea to have a university as a testing place,” he said.
He cited Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) while discussing the potential role of universities in the sector, and also expressed hope that similar activities could be carried out at Universiti Malaya.
However, Sim stressed that the location of the proposed Unmanned Valley has yet to be decided.
“At this point, we have not decided on the Unmanned Valley. We want to find a place where we can conduct testing,” he said.
The government would need to balance safety considerations with the need to ensure the site was accessible and attractive to industry players, he added.
“If we test in a place where nobody is around, of course it is safe, but not many industry players will participate because it is too far away,” Sim said.
The proposed Unmanned Valley is part of Malaysia’s broader push into the LAE, which covers activities involving unmanned aircraft systems, drones, urban air mobility and autonomous flight.
Malaysia is currently developing a roadmap for the LAE, alongside a separate roadmap to digitalise the MRO sector. Both studies are expected to be completed by the end of this year, with implementation to begin next year.
Sim said Malaysia was moving early to position itself in the emerging sector.
“The low altitude economy is very new, and Malaysia is among the first few countries to begin developing a study and roadmap for it. We want to capture future trends. We do not want to be left behind,” he said.
