Industry and Academia Reap Benefits from Intel Knowledge Transfer

Commitment by global chipmaker to facilitate industry-academia collaboration critical for nation’s economic and human capital development

• Intel Malaysia’s agenda to bridge skills gap between industry and academia creates positive impact for the country. 
• Through the Intel Higher Education Program, Intel actively facilitates the transfer of knowledge, technology and methodology in support of developing a digital economy by 2020. 
• Intel remains committed to help universities and other local government agencies to develop curriculum that will advance innovation in key areas of technology

GEORGE TOWN, November 9, 2012 – Intel Malaysia’s ongoing agenda to bridge the skills gap that exists between industry and academia is creating a positive impact for the country. Over the last 40 years, the global chipmaker has harnessed the necessary experience and expertise required to support the Malaysian government’s initiative to develop a knowledge-based workforce capable of competing in a digital economy.

With a total workforce of more than 9,200 employees based mainly in high-tech manufacturing facilities located in Penang and Kulim, Intel Malaysia has over the years cultivated a large pool of technically-skilled competent workers. To-date, approximately 4,000 of Intel employees in Malaysia are engineers and technologists; and 2,000 of these engineers are in research and development (R&D). A more significant fact is that 95% of these 4,000 engineers and technologists are Malaysians.

“With our solid technical credentials, Intel, through the Intel Higher Education Program, is actively facilitating the transfer of knowledge, technology and methodology in support of developing a digital economy,” said Anjan Ghosh, Regional Director of Intel Corporate Affairs for Asia Pacific.

“Our commitment to education as a means to develop human capital and ignite economic growth is steadfast. Intel works closely with local governments, industry, policy makers, NGOs, and university faculty to help a country grow the technical talent they will need for the innovation economy,” said Ghosh at the recent Intel Asia Academic Forum 2012 in Penang.

The biennial Intel Asia Academic Forum, held over 2 days in Penang, gathered more than 150 key Intel technical experts and top professors from universities in China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam to exchange ideas and information on current technology trends, methodology and challenges in the region.

This regional forum also focused on the topics of ‘Emerging Technologies’ and ‘Embedded Intel Architecture Technologies’, namely on the challenges faced in the proliferation and adoption of new technologies and the critical importance of research innovation. The forum also featured 35 Intel-Academia collaborative projects as well as some of the latest Intel embedded technology showcase including the In-vehicle Infotainment (IVI) – an integrated in-car entertainment and information system; and the XOLO smartphone – both powered by the Intel® Atom™ processors.

Harnessing industry-relevant skills
“In line with the government’s aspirations towards a developed digital economy by 2020, Intel is committed to help universities and other local government agencies to develop a curriculum that will advance innovation in key areas of technology,” said Chris Kelly, Director of Intel Architecture Group, Intel Malaysia.

In collaboration with the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and the MyTRIZ Association, Intel has successfully implemented the TRIZ methodology, a systematic and creative problem solving tool, in Malaysian universities since 2010. Along with the introduction of TRIZ curriculum, Intel engineers also trained over 1,000 TRIZ practitioners consisting mainly university lecturers and government officials. The Asia Academic Forum was followed by a 3-day TRIZ conference and workshops with more than 250 participants from local and regional universities.

“We are very pleased with the significant progress Intel has made so far in bridging the industry-academia gap. Intel is a strategic partner in providing access to and encouraging university students to adopt cutting-edge technology in the field of electronics engineering,” said Muhammad Imran Kunalan, General Manager of Talent Division, MDeC.

In Malaysia, Intel has contributed about RM15 million in grants under its Higher Education Program since 1997. Through this program, Intel has been in active collaboration with over 20 local institutions to encourage students to pursue a range of opportunities for technical study and research.