Newton-Ungku Omar Fund (NUOF) Impact Analysis

The Newton-Ungku Omar Fund (NUOF) was launched in 2014 as a science and innovation collaboration between the United Kingdom and Malaysia. The goal in mind was to increase Malaysian prosperity and well-being via basic and translational research, as well as capacity development activities.

ASM, as one of the local Delivery Partners appointed by MIGHT, implemented seven NUOF programmes encompassing 62 projects with a total of RM18 million of allocation. The execution of the programmes has come to an end with the completion of 61 projects and one terminated project. All of which was accomplished over the course of seven years of partnership with five notable UK delivery partners.

The activities covered under the NUOF Programmes ranged as follows:

• Growing capacities of the Malaysian science and innovation community through fellowships, mobility schemes and joint centres.

• Forging research collaborations on development topics.

• Establishing innovation partners and challenging funds to develop innovative solutions on development topics.

The impact of the NUOF projects managed by ASM was measured via a NUOF Impact Analysis Workshop, to collect the output and outcome of the NUOF projects from the recipients.

According to the data obtained, the majority of NUOF Recipients were satisfied with their projects; they hoped that a similar programme may be continued to assist early-career researchers in developing their networks and linkages with international experts. Through NUOF projects, researchers from Malaysia and the UK collaborated to expand each other’s capacities as well as to patent their research discoveries, which served as the foundation for future policy development and the improvement of present research methods and technological processes.

Moving forward, NUOF Programs could be expanded in the future. Besides that, a similar matched fund model could be set up with other industrialised nations. These initiatives would help local researchers by exposing them to world-class facilities and increasing competitiveness in high impact research.