KUALA LUMPUR, October 5 2026 — The Government has been urged to introduce more incentives to encourage graduates and working professionals to pursue research and postgraduate studies as part of efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s pool of researchers, scientists, engineers and technologists (RSET).
Asian Institute for Policy and Engagement advisory council chairman Shahir Liew said Budget 2027 should place greater emphasis on equitable access to education, developing highly skilled talent and turning research into practical outcomes.
He said the Government should ensure Malaysians are not denied educational opportunities due to financial constraints, particularly students from disadvantaged and lower-income backgrounds.
Shahir also called for initiatives to encourage graduates to take up specialised research roles and pursue postgraduate studies, supporting the national target of having 200 RSET professionals for every 10,000 workers.
Citing Higher Education Ministry data, he said about 114,600 postgraduate students were registered as of December 2025, accounting for approximately nine per cent of total higher education enrolment.
He said a significant but underutilised source of future RSET talent was Malaysia’s existing pool of engineers, scientists, technologists and experienced professionals working in industry.
“Flexible, part-time and industry-based postgraduate research pathways can help transform existing expertise into research and innovation capabilities,” he said.
Shahir also called for greater funding to strengthen links between universities, industry, government and society.
He said more co-funded, industry-relevant research projects could help bridge the gap between academic research and industrial development while accelerating the commercialisation of research findings.
According to data from the Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre (Mastic), Malaysia had about 55 researchers per 10,000 workers in 2023.
Shahir, who is also the pro-vice-chancellor for research and knowledge exchange at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, said existing tax incentives encouraging companies to invest in talent development could be expanded to cover employer-sponsored postgraduate research.
He said stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors would help Malaysia build a larger and more capable research and innovation workforce.
-FMT
