USM STRENGTHENS COLLABORATION IN LANGUAGE AND AI WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS VIA MoA, MoU SIGNINGS

USM PENANG, 13 May 2025 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), through the School of Languages, Literacies and Translation (SoLLaT), has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with P2P Talent Development PLT and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SISTEC AI Sdn. Bhd., marking a strategic move to advance multilingual education, student mobility, and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in language learning technology.

The MoA with P2P focuses on collaborative efforts under the AsiaLink AI Mobility Programme, designed to foster cross-cultural learning experiences for students from ASEAN countries and China by immersing them in Malaysia’s diverse linguistic and cultural context. The initiative also includes upskilling, project management certification, and regional exchange.

Meanwhile, the MoU with SISTEC AI aims to co-develop AI-powered translation and educational tools.

A key highlight of the event was the presentation of a mock cheque worth RM10,000 by SISTEC AI, symbolising their donation of a 12-month SiSTeCATI software license for use on 20 computers at SoLLaT.

This gesture reflects their commitment to empowering language researchers and educators with cutting-edge tools.

The signing ceremony was attended by the USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Dr. Habibah A Wahab representing the Vice-Chancellor of USM; Dean of SoLLaT, Professor Dr. Hazri Jamil; CEO of P2P Talent Development, O’Neil Lim Guat Meng; Senior Advisor of P2P, Lee Nan Phin; CEO of SISTEC AI, Dr. Tang Enya Kong; and Mr. Tan Swee Hong representing the Director of SISTEC AI.

Also present was the SoLLaT Project Director, Dr. Boh Phaik Ean, who played a pivotal role in initiating and laying the groundwork for both collaborations, alongside the School’s Deputy Deans and Exco members.

In her remarks, Habibah underlined the value of academia-industry partnerships in equipping students with future-ready skills and driving innovation.

Following that, Hazri emphasised the importance of aligning with SoLLaT’s mission to become a leader in multilingual and cross-cultural communication.

Representing P2P, Nan Phin reflected on their journey as a value creator, with initiatives such as the Malaysia Project Management Community and AsiaLink driving skills development and regional partnerships.

He also shared how the collaboration with USM aligns with their vision of connecting ecosystems and cultivating talent across borders.

Enya Kong of SISTEC AI shared his personal connection to USM, recalling his early involvement in computational linguistics through the ‘Projek Terjemahan Melalui Komputer’ (PTMK) initiative in the 1980s.

He expressed his enthusiasm in reviving this legacy through the development of SiSTeCATI, inspired by recent breakthroughs in large language models (LLMs).

He highlighted the continuity of innovation from early machine translation efforts to present-day AI-enhanced educational tools.

Others present at the event include officers and staff from USM, P2P Talent Development, and SISTEC AI.

Text: Ida Suhaini Tajul Urus, Language Teacher, SoLLaT, USM/Editing: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

USM News Portal: https://news.usm.my/index.php/english-news/11492-usm-strengthens-collaboration-with-industry-partners-via-moa-mou-signings