UMPSA lecturer leads LRGS grant worth RM1.4 million

NILAI, 3 October 2025 - Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) lecturer, Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Muhammad Aizzat Zakaria from the Faculty of Manufacturing and Mechatronic Engineering Technology (FTKPM), successfully received a Long-Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS) from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) amounting to RM1.4 million.

He leads the research project titled ‘Aeroground: Investigation of Autonomous Aero-Ground Robot for Surveillance and Reconnaissance - Artificial Intelligence Driven Navigation with Secure Edge Computing Integration’, which also involves researchers from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Muhammad Aizzat received the grant presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, in conjunction with the National-Level Academia Day and Academia Month 2025 Celebration held at Dewan Tuanku Canselor (DTC), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), today.

Also present were the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Ts. Mustapha Sakmud; Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Datuk Dr. Anesee Ibrahim; Chairman of the USIM Board of Directors, Tan Sri Dr. Nik Norzrul Thani Nik Hassan Thani; USIM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Ts. Dr. Sharifudin Md Shaarani; UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Yatimah Alias; and UMPSA Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs), Professor Dato Ir. Ts. Dr. Ahmad Ziad Sulaiman.

According to Professor Dr. Yatimah, this success not only reflects excellence in research but also ignites the spirit among academics to contribute their expertise towards national development.

“This LRGS scheme has the potential to promote research excellence that expands the frontiers of knowledge, particularly in identified focus areas, while fostering collegial collaboration across multiple institutions, multidisciplinary in nature, and translatable into outcomes beneficial to stakeholders.

“As a member of the Malaysian Technical Universities Network (MTUN), UMPSA will continue to move forward in producing high-impact research, mentoring young researchers, and forging strategic collaborations with industry and government agencies to address national and global challenges,” she said.

She also extended her appreciation and congratulations to all UMPSA researchers and academics for their contributions, achievements, and sacrifices in elevating UMPSA’s name on the world stage.

At the same time, a total of 100 UMPSA academic staff also gathered at the Tun Abdul Razak Chancellery Banquet Hall to witness the live broadcast of the ceremony, which was also streamed online.

With the theme ‘Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Education’, this year’s celebration highlighted the role of artificial intelligence technology in driving the National Education Agenda towards greater sustainability and global competitiveness.

The highlight of the event was the launch of the USIM Syariah Artificial Intelligence (AI) Blueprint and the AWS AI Talent Development for Higher Education Programme.

Also held was the presentation of the 2025 Fundamental Research Fund and the 2025 Higher Institution Centres of Excellence (HICoE) Fund to the recipients.

Academia Day is celebrated on 5 October every year to recognise the service and contributions of academic staff at Malaysian higher education institutions in upholding knowledge and educating quality human capital.

By: Wallid Wahidi Hamzah, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press