Prof Dr Ho Chin Kuan, Vice-Chancellor of APU (middle left), and See Toh Wai Yu, CEO of Central Force International and MRSM President (middle right) formalising the MOU 亚太科技大学(APU)校长何振光教授(左二)与先得舫(Central Force International)首席执行官兼 马来西亚市场研究协会(MRSM)主席司徒伟耀(右二)正式签署合作谅解备忘录
The two-year partnership aims to give students and academics opportunities to solve real industry challenges and explore the commercial potential of their ideas.
Kuala Lumpur, 21 July 2026 — Central Force International and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) has signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to bring academic research closer to real-world industry use while giving local talents more opportunities to develop and apply artificial intelligence.
The collaboration brings together APU’s research and technology expertise with Central Force’s experience in market research, AI and data analytics. Initial projects will focus on AI-driven market research, survey automation, natural language processing and behavioral analytics. These efforts are intended to help businesses and institutions analyze data more efficiently, understand changes in behavior and public sentiment, and make better-informed decisions.
This industry-academia partnership also supports Malaysia’s push to build stronger homegrown technology capabilities. Under the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (13MP), the country aims to move beyond adopting overseas technologies and develop more locally created innovations that can support higher-value growth and global competitiveness.
The next breakthrough Malaysia needs is to move more AI research and digital innovation beyond the conceptual stage and into commercialization. Only 10% of university research and development outcomes had been successfully commercialized as of 2025, according to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, with funding, entrepreneurial capabilities and sustained mentorship among the barriers. Closing this under utilisation gap would allow Malaysia to make fuller use of its existing research talents.
The MOU aims to build an earlier bridge between research and application, through research and development grant applications, student internships and career opportunities, academic and staff mobility, guest-speaking engagements, and the exchange of knowledge and technology between academia and industry.
Central Force International representatives, led by CEO See Toh Wai Yu (middle right), COO Sim Siew Khoon (right), and Head of Business Development Dr Waqar Tariq (left), exchanging insights before the official ceremony 先得舫(Central Force International)首席执行官司徒伟耀(右二)、首席运营官沈秀群(右)及业务 发展主管 Dr Waqar Tariq (左)于谅解备忘录签署仪式前亲切会谈
See Toh Wai Yu, Chief Executive Officer of Central Force International, said “Malaysia’s ambition to become an AI-driven nation cannot be achieved by treating academic research, industry needs and talent development as separate tracks. Businesses bring live challenges and market signals, while universities contribute research rigor, technical expertise and the next generation of talent.
Through this partnership, we want to give students and academics opportunities to work on real research problems while helping businesses benefit from stronger expertise and more innovative approaches to understanding markets and society. The objective is not simply to study new technologies, but to determine how they can be applied responsibly and effectively.”
Prof Dr Ho Chin Kuan, Vice-Chancellor of APU said “We have always placed strong emphasis on ensuring that learning remains relevant to industry needs. This collaboration will give our students and academics greater opportunities to apply their knowledge to emerging areas such as AI-driven market research, while contributing directly to business, innovation and wider societal needs that may support future innovation. The partnership reinforces our commitment to developing industry-ready talent and ensuring that academic expertise contributes meaningfully to Malaysia’s wider innovation ecosystem.”
The collaboration also complements the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026–2035, which prioritises closer curriculum collaboration with industry and an outcome-based approach to producing future-ready, employable graduates.
Over the longer term, Central Force and APU intend to explore how promising research concepts can be validated against the market and potentially developed for market application. This may include opportunities for students to further develop viable ideas through APU’s entrepreneurship and incubation ecosystem, supported by Central Force’s expertise in go-to-market strategy.
