A collaborative research between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and an oil and gas company will look into the possibility of providing clean water for people in the interior of Sabah.

UMS researcher Dr Clarence M. Ongkudon said that the varsity and Eternity Mode Sdn Bhd would look into water filtration innovation systems for consistent clean water supply.

He added that by using such a technology, it could channel between 50 to 100 litres of water within an hour, which is double than the current capacity.

"This collaboration will focus on improving UMS monolithic water filtration technology to build a fully operational and commercially available system to be installed in remote areas such as Kampung Long Pasia, Sipitang, and Kampung Guakon, Tamparuli.

"This technology is developed based on a poly methacrylate membrane that can be recycled and maintained using local technology.

"With this system in place, it is expected to contribute to the achievement of the sixth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which is clean water and sanitation.

"The low cost of the technology makes this innovation an ideal solution for widespread use in rural areas and as a model for future development projects," he said in a statement.

This technology is estimated to cost up to RM50,000 and is funded through the Innovation Grant Scheme (SGI) from the UMS Innovation and Commercialisation Management Center and is protected under patents owned by UMS.

At the signing of the research agreement, UMS was represented by Clarence, while Eternity Mode was represented by the chief executive officer, Gesiri Gambung.

Universiti Malaya Sabah (UMS) will collaborate with China's Beihua University to explore Sabah's tremendous potential in traditional medicine and herb research.

UMS vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor said that there are great opportunities in these fields as Sabah is a nature-rich state.

“Our diverse and rich nature with high economic value has the potential to be made into traditional medicines and related products,” he said when signing a letter of intent with Beihua University vice-principal Prof Yu Fanhua here recently.

He said UMS’ Faculty of Tropical Forestry and Tropical Biology and Conservation Institute would be involved in the collaboration.

Kasim said the collaboration would be vital to help increase awareness of traditional medicine's value, especially among the youth.

He said student and teacher exchange programmes, grants, research and test laboratory data sharing between both parties could be within the scope of the collaboration.

Expanding knowledge of alternative medicine in Sabah could complement modern medicine in facing the various challenges of the post-pandemic era, he added.

The Covid19 Preparedness and Action Center (PKTC-19) together with the Occupational Safety and Health Center (PKKP) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Borneo Marine Research Institute (IPMB) conducted an aedes mosquito breeding places eradication training programme at IPMB near here.

Also partaking in the programme was the Health Office here.

The event was attended by representatives of residential fellows, students and UMS campus cleaning contractors.

UMS PKKP director Professor Dr Khamisah Awang Lukman said that the programme is to train USM staff to identify the breeding grounds for aedes mosquitoes in public areas.

"This programme is also to train UMS staff on ways to correctly destroy the breeding ground," she said.

Khamisah added that the programme was an initiative of PKTC-19 and PKKP to help the Kota Kinabalu Health Office to control the risk of dengue infection at UMS campus.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Science and Natural Resource Faculty (FSSA) has the opportunity to explore cooperation with Kibing Solar, a company from China.

Kibing Solar is a high technology company in research and development (R&D), production and sales of "photovoltaic glass" and the new energy industry.

FSSA Dean, Professor Dr Jualang Azlan Gansau said that this network of cooperation will cover industry players and also the community.

"Through the company registered in Sabah which is Sbh Kibing New Materials (M) Sdn Bhd, the industry company has stated its interest to form a cooperation with FSSA in the field of research, students mobility and also students industrial training.

"FSSA also expressed its interest to collaborate in providing language training which is in Mandarin, English and Malay to the alumni students from China and staff of Kibing Solar," he said in a statement.

Jualang informed that the matter is the content of discussions during the visit by representatives from Sbh Kibing Solar Materials (M) Sdn Bhd consisting of the human desource director Julia Wang human resource manager Zou Qiankun; and public relations director Eve Charlie to FSSA recently.

"Also discussed during the meeting was the role of the faculty in helping research with the expertise available as well as involvement in several departments in UMS such as the Confucius Institute, Industrial Collaboration and Involvement Centre, and internationalization and global involvement.

"Kibing Solar also hopes that the relationship between the two parties can be realized by signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) and also a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the near future," he said.

Present with the director of the Confucius Institute, Prof Dr Chong Khim Phin; Deputy Director of the Center for Collaboration and Industry Engagement, Dr Chin Pei Yee; Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) FSSA, Associate Professor Dr Rodeano Roslee; and Deputy Dean (Student and Alumni Affairs), FSSA Associate Professor Dr Chee Fuei Pien