AIMST University – Propels to Provide High Quality Education to Students

The AIMST University was established in 2001; its campus spreads over 230 acres of lush greenery at the foothills of Gunung Jerai, Kedah, approximately an hour from the Penang International Airport. The University offers a fully-residential experience with the capacity to boost the modern learning, teaching environment, residential accommodation and a sports centre.

AIMST has positioned itself to be a premier private university in the country and region, catering to the needs of local and international students in providing high quality technical education at an affordable  price. The University has consistent student enrollment of over 3,000 since 2013.

The university offers high quality accredited undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in medicine and health sciences, engineering, applied sciences, business, and accountancy; designed to meet the national manpower needs. It has a foundation studies school and seven faculties, namely the faculties of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, applied sciences, business and management, allied health professions, engineering and computer technology.

Well-known for its medical, dentistry and pharmacy programmes, AIMST has also established international collaborative  partnerships with several top-notch researchers from Boston Children Hospital, Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, University of Leicester, University of Copenhagen and Deakin University.

All of its programmes are licensed by the Ministry of Education and accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), Malaysian Dental Council (MDC), Engineering Accreditation Council Malaysia (EAC), Pharmacy Board Malaysia, Board of Engineers Malaysia, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), United Kingdom; the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, while its engineering degrees are also recognised internationally through the Washington Accord.

The University aspires to inculcate analytical thinking and independent judgment among students so that they may function responsibly in a democratic and increasingly global society. It is increasingly gaining as a center of excellence for research and innovation in frontier disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas of science and technology. AIMST believes that universities are a powerhouse for knowledge where new technology, innovation, and scholarly outputs are generated to shape better policies for the nation; strengthened by its research and innovation culture inculcated in the curriculum of its  undergraduate or postgraduate programmes. Its postgraduate programmes are designed to ensure the graduates contribute to the scientific community with new knowledge, as they are required to publish their scholarly output as research articles in peer-reviewed reputed indexed journals or even filed as intellectual property to mark the completion of their programmes.

The University has a Research Management Centre (RMC) that oversees all the University’s research activities as well as a Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL) that offers short courses and continuing education to working adults. In the R&D field, AIMST University:

• Has successfully developed a cold chain-free cholera vaccine formulation which was then acknowledged by Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the patent filed in China, India, the USA, and in 38 countries in Europe. Currently the Malaysian Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals (IPHARM), an approved independent GLP-compliant facility is carrying out assessment of the vaccine formulation according to the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines for further licencing requirements.

• Is working on an intelligent automated Ovitrap for mosquito surveillance in curbing dengue outbreaks through a Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science, and Technology (CREST) funded project. The patent has been filed and field trial is ongoing before further commercialisation processes.

Since inception, AIMST University has produced 5,649 graduates to the working world as doctors, dentists, engineers, nurses, pharmacists, biotechnologists, physiotherapists, and business graduates. Its faculty members attained recognition in life sciences, health sciences, and computational biology and were awarded research grants of RM7.5 million from both local and international agencies.

Recently, the University embarked to build up its  Faculty of Engineering and Computer Technology (FECT) with specialised laboratories aided by some industry players; in anticipation of more industries seeking partnership with AIMST for industry-based research work. FECT is planning to establish laboratories in the following areas:

FECT will also invite experts in its Industrial Advisory Panel (IAP) to provide strategic advice in learning and research activities.

AIMST University is devoted to developing active links and partnerships between higher education and industries in Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Sungai Petani Industrial Area and Penang Free Trade Zones. Its visibility in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), enhances industrial linkage activities to create a better employability progress for its students. There’s a growing awareness among educators and communities that today’s curriculum needs to evolve to meet tomorrow’s reality. Beyond tools and technology, instilling soft skills are also vital to produce holistic graduates.

The new Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of AIMST University, Prof. Datuk Dr. John Anthony Xavier stressed that “As a university that emphasises excellence and innovation, AIMST is committed to extend beyond lecturing and tutoring to include personalised coaching and mentoring designed around each student’s learning abilities and interests. Relevant strategies on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) to prepare students to join future workforce are regularly updated in the curriculum”.

AIMST is ready to collaborate with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) on the way forward to ensure its graduates has the high economic value that meets the demand of highly skilled human  capital and achieve their desired careers.

For more information please visit www.aimst.edu.my