KUALA LUMPUR: University of Malaya (UM), which is currently ranked 53rd in the world, is targeted to break into the top 50 global universities by next year.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said the target was in line with the university’s ongoing efforts in strengthening a culture of academic excellence, research, innovation and talent development holistically.
“UM is ranked among the world’s top 100. The latest is 53rd best in the world. Previously, it was around 60th, 70th, and now 53rd and maybe next year it will be in the world’s top 50. Keep trying,” he said when speaking to open the Universiti Malaya Ideas Festival 2026 (UM iFEST 2026) at the Tunku Canselor Hall, UM here today.
Commenting on the direction of the country’s higher education, Zambry said that the progress of a civilization today no longer depends solely on resources, but rather is centered on the production of ideas that are translated into high-impact solutions.
To reinforce the narrative, he also cited the insights of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and academic Professor Wilhelm Krull regarding the transition of global civilization towards the dominance of thought.
“What did he (Churchill) say? The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind. In other words, the empires of ideas,” he said, adding that the current educational revolution and technological advancements began with the ability of universities to produce groundbreaking inventions.
In this regard, Zambry praised the organisation of UM IFest 2026, which was fully supported by the university’s students, and described the programme as an important platform towards creating more progressive higher education.
“We want to see our students, the talents in our university always develop well. These innovative efforts are carried out with a good theme, namely unleashing ideas , igniting change .”
“This is a very big idea that we hope can produce something great in our context to create higher education that is more progressive, innovative and high-impact,” he said.
— BERNAMA