UMPSA collaborates to expand open access to theses and dissertations with Malaysian public universities

PUTRAJAYA, 13 February 2025 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has established a collaboration on Open Access to Theses and Dissertations among Malaysian public universities.

This collaboration enables all 20 public universities to implement initiatives in creating an ecosystem for sharing scholarly resources among researchers, students, and the community, ultimately enhancing Malaysia’s visibility as an internationally recognised centre of knowledge.

According to the Vice-Chancellor of UMPSA, Professor Dr. Yatimah Alias, who attended the event, this collaboration demonstrates UMPSA’s commitment, alongside all public universities, to implementing open access to theses and dissertations through the national repository platform.

“This platform refers to Malaysian Theses Online (MyTO), a centralised online search platform that provides access to thesis and dissertation collections from public universities.

“Through this memorandum, knowledge sharing can be carried out holistically, making a positive impact and contribution to national development and societal well-being,” she stated.

During the event, the Minister of Higher Education, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, witnessed the signing ceremony, which was represented by the Director-General of Higher Education, Datuk Professor Dr. Azlinda Azman, and the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Professor Datuk Dr. Md Amin Md Taff, representing the public universities.

Also present were the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Yang Berhormat Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini Ujang, senior management and top management of MOHE, as well as vice-chancellors and rectors of public and private universities.

The event also featured the Malaysia Research Star Award (MRSA) 2025 ceremony, organised by the Higher Education Research Excellence Division (BKPI), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, in collaboration with International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

The MRSA has been introduced since 2012, in collaboration with Clarivate Analytics, which is responsible for the evaluation process to determine the award winners.

This award is given to researchers and local journals that produce high-quality publications that benefit national development.

At the event, a total of 26 awards were presented in four major categories, including Frontier Researcher, Outstanding Research in Phytochemicals, Researcher Cluster, and Journal.

The event also serves as an inspiration for researchers in higher education institutions (HEIs) to enhance academic and research excellence.

This recognition proves the capability of researchers and local journals in contributing to knowledge development and high-quality research in Malaysia.

Also present at the event were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Professor Ts. Dr. Aida Mustapha, Chief Librarian, Kamariah Gono, and Senior Director of Research, Department of Research and Innovation, Professor Dr. Mohd Hasbi Ab Rahim.

By: Siti Nur Azwin Zulkapri, Centre for Corporate Communications

Photos by: Khairu Aidilnishah Rizan Jalil, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Dr Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press