Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) – otherwise known as the National University of Malaysia –has bases in Bangi, Cheras and Kuala Lumpur, and was established in 1970. It was appointed as one of four research universities in Malaysia in 2006 due to its background in quality research. 

UKM was initially born from the aspirations of the nationalists to uphold the Malay language as a language of knowledge. 

Today, UKM has a variety of faculties, alongside an established private limited holding company known as UKM Holdings, which handles all commercial activity associated with the university. UKM’s Tun Seri Lanang Library is one of the biggest university libraries in Malaysia with a collection of over 2 million books, journals, e-books, and e-journals. 

Key areas of focus for the university are energy related, which include earth sciences and biotechnology. Research from the university has helped propel various Malaysian industries, within engineering, architecture and food science. 

UKM attracts students by offering a vast number of postgraduate programmes, and as a public university, studying at UKM is subsidised by the government. 

UKM won the Prime Minister's Quality Award in 2006, which demonstrates the university’s efforts at providing quality education and management. 

Since 2010, Oxford University Innovation has been working with UKM through an established partnership arrangement to assist with commercialisation structures and processes, while also providing direct support to staff. As a result, Oxford University has made several successful licensing deals within the Malaysian industry.

Notable alumni include the country’s first astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the former deputy prime minister, Datuk Razali Ibrahim and singer Jess Lee.