RAISE-MED: Research Alliance for Intelligent Systems in Medical Technology in Malaysia

Following the successful “German Malaysian Workshop Series (GMWS)” events held in Hanover (2012), Malacca (2013), Bremen (2014), Bali (2015), Paderborn (2016), and Krabi (2017), the seventh edition took place again in Paderborn this year. The focus was on providing insights into Germany’s innovation landscape and scientific community; the program included a strategy workshop, participation in an international conference, and various industry visits in the East Westphalia-Lippe region.

Workshop at Zukunftsmeile 1

The four-day event series began with a full-day workshop at Fraunhofer IEM in Zukunftsmeile 1. The workshop centered on the future strategy of the RAISE-MED project. Participants also discussed how technology transfer in Malaysia could be structured. Representatives from the it’s OWL Cluster Management team participated and shared their experiences with technology transfer over the past five years within the Leading-Edge Cluster.

Martin Rabe, a research associate at Fraunhofer IEM and coordinator of the RAISE-MED project, emphasizes the importance of in-person exchanges and joint strategy development: “The German-Malaysian Workshop Series format has been very well received by participants for several years now. These four days together are characterized by an intensive exchange of ideas. The result is new momentum for further cooperation and collaboration. This clearly demonstrates that, even in the digital age, face-to-face dialogue cannot be replaced.” One outcome of this year’s meeting is the establishment of a shared IT infrastructure to further explore the topic of data analytics in an industrial setting as well as global, collaborative work.

Visit to the SysInt International Conference

The “International Conference on System-Integrated Intelligence (SysInt)” (June 19–20) is a forum for academia and industry to share the latest innovations. As part of the RAISE-MED project, Fraunhofer IEM and its Malaysian partners presented a total of four papers. The papers focused on methodological support for agile development processes in the fields of rehabilitation, the interpretation of brain waves to support therapies, and the design and development of a smart factory demonstrator.

Industry Visits in the East Westphalia-Lippe Innovation Region

On the final day of the workshop series, participants had the opportunity to tour the GEA Group’s production facilities. The tour took place as part of the Industry 4.0 working group. Similar events fostering exchange between industry and academia are also planned for Malaysia. The agenda also included visits to the garage33 incubator and startup center, the University of Paderborn, and SmartFactoryOWL, a living lab for Industry 4.0. Here, too, the goal is to establish such structures in Malaysia to strengthen the innovation ecosystem. Through visits to Fraunhofer IEM’s various partners, the participants gained fascinating insights into the East Westphalia-Lippe Innovation Region.

The focus of the meeting was on promoting the research and innovation landscape in Malaysia. Participants discussed the successful German innovation model, to which Fraunhofer contributes through its applied research. The central question was how German instruments and measures can be adapted to the Malaysian research and industrial landscape. The RAISE-MED project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which promotes exchange and networking between the two countries, is enabling the first important steps in this direction.

The three organizations—FMM, MATRDE, and the Consul for Trade—connect a large number of companies in Malaysia, thereby creating an important link between research and industry. They are comparable to German organizations such as the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) or the Association of German Engineers (VDI).

The first part of the meeting focused on current research and other activities on both the German and Malaysian sides. In addition to a presentation on the RAISE-MED project, Fraunhofer IEM showcased current key technologies for Industry 4.0. Afterward, the guests had the opportunity to tour the Systems Engineering Live Lab and, through demonstrations, learn about technologies for collaborative robotics and industry-oriented virtual and augmented reality.

The second part of the day included a guided tour of the Diebold Nixdorf production line. There, visitors gained fascinating insights into the processes and machinery of this world-renowned company. Afterward, the group visited SmartFactoryOWL in Lemgo, an open research and demonstration platform for digital transformation.

“We were able to show our Malaysian guests how valuable and inspiring it is to present and discuss future technologies. We also explained the advantages of the Fraunhofer model of applied research. We are delighted with our German-Malaysian collaboration and look forward to further exchange in the areas of innovation and research,” said Dr.-Ing. Arno Kühn, summarizing the day.

The network offers events and workshops

The new German-Malaysian research alliance will organize workshops and events alternately in Germany and Southeast Asia to promote exchange between companies and scientists and to build a network. To this end, the project is collaborating with the German technology network “Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe” (it’s OWL), in which research and industry work together and which was designated a “leading-edge cluster” by the German government in 2012.

The events are free. Details will be announced here (www.iem.fraunhofer.de/RAISE-MED).

Partners in the RAISE-MED Project

All partners contribute their broad expertise to the project: Fraunhofer IEM brings its know-how in systems engineering in the context of digitalization and Industry 4.0. Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) are core partners of the project and leading Malaysian universities in medical technology. The project’s overall network is growing steadily, and since the project’s launch, 25 new Malaysian partners from research and industry have already been integrated.

Funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The RAISE-MED project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). During the first phase (2017–2019) of “RAISE-MED,” the innovation lab and the innovation network will be established. Further funding through 2022 is anticipated.

On August 14, 2017, the “Research Alliance for Intelligent Systems in Medical Technology in Malaysia” (RAISE-MED) project was launched with a ceremony at UiTM. In attendance were Dr. Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah (Malaysian Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation), Jens Brinkmann (German Embassy in Kuala Lumpur), Prof. Dr. Roman Dumitrescu (Director at Fraunhofer IEM), Prof. Ir. Dr. Hj. Abdul Rahman Omar (Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation at UiTM), and Prof. Dr. Mohamad Amri Lajis (Director of the Research Management Center at UTHM).

“The idea for our innovation lab arose from the long-standing, friendly, and loyal collaboration between Fraunhofer IEM, UiTM, and UTHM. Building on this foundation and together with competent partners, we will establish an excellent research network,” said Prof. Dumitrescu.

The innovation lab brings research and industry together

A central component of the collaboration is an innovation lab that will be established near Kuala Lumpur at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia’s largest university with 160,000 students and 18,000 employees. The goal: to establish a research presence in the field of intelligent systems for medical technology (Smart Health). The lab’s facilities will include “digital engineering” workstations, areas for prototyping technologies, and training spaces, and will be available to students, researchers, and industry alike. “The goal is to bring science and industry together. In Germany, innovation has long been promoted through this concept, as exemplified in particular by Fraunhofer. Now we will collaborate with Malaysian companies and researchers in the same way,” said Prof. Dumitrescu.

The network offers events and workshops

The new German-Malaysian research alliance will organize workshops and events alternately in Germany and Southeast Asia to promote exchange between companies and scientists and to build a network. To this end, the project is collaborating with the German technology network “Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe” (it’s OWL), in which research and industry work together and which was designated a “leading-edge cluster” by the German government in 2012.

The events are free. Details will be announced here (www.iem.fraunhofer.de/raise-med).

Partners in the RAISE-MED Project

All partners contribute their broad expertise to the project: Fraunhofer IEM brings its know-how in systems engineering in the context of digitalization and Industry 4.0. Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) are leading Malaysian universities in medical technology. Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) are also renowned universities in the field of “Smart Health.” Medical technology specialists Techcare Innovation and the Malaysian Association of Rehabilitation Physicians help link the research questions to real-world application scenarios.

Funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The RAISE-MED project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). During the first phase (2017–2019) of “RAISE-MED,” the innovation lab and the innovation network will be established. Further funding through 2022 is anticipated.