UniMAP Becomes First University In Asia To Set Up UAV Academy

KANGAR (Perlis, Malaysia), April 16 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) has created yet another history when it became the first university in Asia to set up an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Academy. UniMAP vice-chancellor Prof Dr Kamarudin Hussin said the setting up of the academy was done with the cooperation from Drei Sohne Technologies (DST) Sdn Bhd, a local company, which markets Germany UAV expertise and technology in Malaysia. "The academy which operates from Anjung UniMAP in Kulim (a city in the state of Kedah, Malaysia) will expand understanding of UAV technology to various levels, sectors and agencies through seminars and training programmes," he said in a statement here Wednesday. He said UniMAP had been involved in UAV industry with DST over the past three years under the UAV Excellence Centre led by Assoc Prof Hazry Desa. "I believe the good cooperation with countries which are more advanced in this field will turn Malaysia into a UAV technology donor state from just a mere user state. "We have to learn from the MH370 tragedy that it is important for us to develop the technology ourselves to have control of the expertise and to reduce our dependency on other countries," he said. Kamarudin said UniMAP had so far sent four of its engineers to get some exposure about UAV technology and to help develop the industry in Malaysia, especially in UAV maintenance and handling. Meanwhile, DST managing director Azmi Mustapha said the close cooperation between DST and UniMAP, as well as with universities in Germany, had help making the setting up of the academy a reality. He said the academy was also a good platform to share views, experience and knowledge of UAV technology among academicians and industry players. "The memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between DST and UniMAP three years ago had made the UAV industry in Malaysia more proactive and beneficial," he said, when met at the Seminar on Drones/UAV: The German Experience, which was jointly organised by UniMAP and DST last Sunday in Kuala Lumpur. The official plague, symbolising the opening of the academy, was signed by Kamarudin at the seminar. -- BERNAMA