Oversea Innovation Project Program (Inbound Program)
between
School of Microelectronics,
Tianjin University of China
and
Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
26th July – 8th August 2026
The Oversea Innovation Project Programme, a two-week program from the 26th of July until the 8th of August 2026, is a collaboration between the School of Microelectronics (SME), Tianjin University (TJU) of China, and the Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering (CMED), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The program was participated by 20 undergraduate students from TJU and 15 undergraduate students from UTM. The project was led by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Mohd Ridzuan bin Ahmad from UTM and Prof. Dr. Shixiong Liang from TJU. Focusing on the goal of international top-notch talent training, the project has set up three sections: science and technology project collaboration, international academic research and multicultural experience, build an international comprehensive education platform, and strive to cultivate students’ cross-cultural cooperation and complex engineering problem research capabilities.
The project officially kicked off with an opening ceremony officiated by the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at UTM, Prof. Dr. Jafri bin Din, with the Head of the Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Herman bin Wahid, also in attendance. Leaders from both Tianjin University and UTM delivered speeches highlighting the fruitful outcomes of past collaborations and expressing high expectations for this year’s program.
To help break the ice, both student representative from UTM and TJU delivered a presentation introducing their country’s multi-ethnic composition, unique culinary traditions, and vibrant cultural festivals. This warm, interactive exchange quickly eased initial reservations among the participants, setting a collaborative tone and building a strong foundation for the technical teamwork that followed.
To help break the ice, both student representative from UTM and TJU delivered a presentation introducing their country’s multi-ethnic composition, unique culinary traditions, and vibrant cultural festivals. This warm, interactive exchange quickly eased initial reservations among the participants, setting a collaborative tone and building a strong foundation for the technical teamwork that followed.
Midway through the project on August 4, 2026, the two universities hosted a joint online research colloquium focused on frontier engineering domains. Both researchers presented findings on various topics including autonomous robot navigation, terahertz device design, electromagnetic field optimization, microelectronic manufacturing, computer vision inspection, and flexible energy storage. This research webinar has opened up a potential collaboration between researchers from participating institutions and also provided research exposure for the student participants.
Beyond the laboratory, the delegation spent time exploring local Malaysian heritage, visiting traditional villages and museums to experience the country’s diverse multi-ethnic history, unique cuisine, and architectural traditions.
The Oversea Innovation Project Program was a successful program between CMED, UTM, and SME, TJU. All objectives of the program were achieved. The participants from both institutions not only gained robotics knowledge and hands-on skills but also several other exposures such as Malaysian culture, state-of-the-art research sharing, and new friendships.
