Director’s Welcome
Greetings of Peace (Assalamu’alaikum) and Welcome to INFORMM,
INFORMM has a rich tradition of excellence. It was founded in 2003 when a small group of eleven researchers banded together under the Medical Biotechnology research cluster to form the institute. INFORMM is now one of the few research institutes to be awarded the Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HiCoE) by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in year 2010 in the area of ‘diagnostic solutions for infectious diseases’. Currently we are in the second phase of the HiCoE program that was awarded in 2015. As a HiCoE, we are reputed for our track record of quality and recognition in research, development and commercialization. This status has elevated our visibility and attracted research collaborations from across the country and around the world. We strive to be a recognized international training centre in Molecular Medicine by year 2020.
Both INFORMM and its researchers have won several prestigious national and international awards, and some INFORMMers are regular visiting scientists to or receive visiting students and scientists from renowned research institutes in the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Singapore and Australia. Our formula is to strive towards academic excellence at the international level, which is clearly captured under our Mission and Vision statements.
Officially established at the USM Health Campus, INFORMM has also been running its activities from its facility at the Main Campus in Penang since 2007. This unique set-up in the Health and Main Campuses provides us with the unique opportunity to directly tap into the available expertise and facilities at the various schools at USM as well as the Hospital USM.
Since inception, we have witnessed notable transformations for the Institute. From half a dozen permanent academic staff members and about the same number of graduate students in 2003, we now boast 24 fulltime PhD qualified researchers supervising about 100 postgraduate students with research grants valued between RM3.0 to RM 4.0 million annually. The scope of on-going research efforts in the Institute includes diagnostics for infectious diseases, cancer research, vaccine and novel therapeutics, and research technology development which form the four major clusters at INFORMM. We actively collaborate with national and international partners, exchanging scientific knowledge and skills to continue to motivate our researchers to explore new frontiers of research. Translational research into products and services that create an impact to the society is also strongly encouraged.
INFORMM offers graduate full-time and part-time, research-mode studies at the Master and Doctoral levels. As of September 2017, we will be offering offer full-time or part-time mixed-mode program leading to the Master of Science degree upon completion. This unique program is expected to provide unrivaled experience as it allows students to choose either a “research” or “industry” pathway while being on full-time professional employment.
We look forward to successful partnerships and collaborations with all interested parties in our continuous effort to develop INFORMM as a unique, sustainable and innovative Institute with a strong international presence. We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all new and prospective students, and invite collaborations from researchers around the world.
Sincerely,
Director INFORMM
(Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aziah Binti Ismail)
