Professor Wang Qi (foreground left), Vice President of Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics, Peking University and Assoc Prof Dr Ng (foreground right) exchanging tokens of appreciation at the signing ceremony.
TAR UC and Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics, Peking University had formalised a joint R&D project on Intelligent Agriculture in a signing ceremony concurrently held with the Inauguration Ceremony of Joint Laboratory on 14 August 2018.
Through this collaboration, TAR UC and Peking University will be working together closely and sharing their respective expertise to develop sustainable cultivation methods using Farm Box, to improve the production of stevia and ice plant. TAR UC and Peking University have been working together on Agriculture 4.0 projects since 2017.
TAR UC representatives present at the signing ceremony were Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, former President of TAR UC, Assoc Prof Dr Ng Swee Chin, Vice President of TAR UC, Assoc Prof Dr Lee Wah Pheng, Head of Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Research (‘CPSR’), Dr Tan Hui Yin, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (‘FOAS’) and Mr Lee Yoke Leong, representative of Persatuan Budaya Seni dan Warisan Bentong.
“With the bio-light application in the new research and development laboratory, we would be able to extend our areas of research from plants, to animals and even human application,” mentioned Prof Zhang Guoyi, Executive Vice Director of Dongguan Institute of Opto-Electronics, Peking University who was present at the signing ceremony. “I am deeply grateful for the hard work and dedication of both institutions involved and all the people who gave their support.”
In his speech, Datuk Dr Tan highlighted that smart agriculture is an integrated management technology focusing on improving agricultural productivity which can overcome some agricultural production problems and greenhouse gas emission produced as a by-product of agricultural activities. “Through this joint collaboration into research for Agriculture 4.0, the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship is fostered between both institutions,” he added.
During the ceremony, Assoc Prof Dr Ng also gave a detailed introduction of the stevia project, future plans as well as the respective institutions’ roles in the research collaboration. She also explained that by slowly implementing the Farm Box methodology in Malaysia, all collaborating parties and the public will be able to benefit from the results of this new research venture.
This joint research development has received the support of many prominent parties namely the Office of the Leading Group on Promoting the Implementation of “Belt and Road” Initiatives, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (‘NDRC’) to name a few.
