SERDANG, 26 June – The Research Management Centre (RMC) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) hosted a benchmarking visit from a delegation representing Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Sungai Long Campus here today. The official working visit aimed to explore and exchange best practices concerning management efficiency and internal systems for compiling academic staff publication data.

The two-hour bilateral sharing session focused significantly on strengthening data instrumentation strategies, which are critical to meeting high-impact national reporting requirements, particularly for the Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA) and SETARA.

Corporate Visit Details

• Date: 26 June 2026 (Friday)

• Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

• Venue: Boardroom, Level 5, Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), UPM

Cross-Departmental Synergy Driving Data Quality

The visiting delegation from UTAR featured a strategic blend of top management officials and data analysis experts from two of the university's key entities:

• Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research (IPSR)

• UTAR Library

The joint representation of these two sectors reflects UTAR’s firm commitment to integrating the library's role as a publication repository hub with research management institutions. This post-integration approach is seen as a vital step to holistically strengthen the integrity, validity, and overall quality of institutional data.

"This benchmarking session serves as a dynamic platform that not only opens avenues for strategic narrative sharing between UPM and UTAR, but also underscores a mutual commitment to empowering the nation's research ecosystem through transparent, systematic, and high-efficiency data governance."

Key Focus of Strategic Discussions

Throughout the visit, both parties engaged in a round-table discussion focusing on several substantive agendas:

• Integrated Data Collection Mechanisms: Examining optimal methodologies to track, filter, and record the scholarly publication outputs of academic staff comprehensively.

• System Automation & Repository Strengthening: Empowering the utilization of digital platforms to minimize margin of error (human error) within the verification process of MyRA and SETARA reporting data.

• Mitigation of Challenges & Contemporary Solutions: Exchanging insights on actionable plans to resolve issues such as overlapping data claims (data duplication) and missing publication records.

The corporate meeting concluded with an exchange of tokens of appreciation, symbolizing a robust institutional relationship and a shared commitment toward continuous academic collaboration in the future.

Date of Input: 29/06/2026 | Updated: 29/06/2026 | norasiah