UMPSA’s Endowments Surpass RM80 Million as RM50 Million PACDB–Kintsugi Commitment Powers New Venture Studio

Royal Hi Tea with Industry marks launch of the Chancellor’s Endowment and anchors Versus, UMPSA’s venture studio for aerospace, AI and autonomous systems.

Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has marked a major milestone in its journey towards financial sustainability and global impact, with total endowments now exceeding RM80 million from industry, community and alumni contributors. The achievement was celebrated at the UMPSA Royal Hi Tea with Industry in Kuala Lumpur on 26 September 2025, where the university also unveiled its new Chancellor’s Endowment framework. (UMPSA News)

Presiding over the ceremony were His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, in his capacity as UMPSA Chancellor, and Her Royal Highness Tengku Ampuan Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah. His Royal Highness formally launched the Chancellor’s Endowment, which is designed to support education, research and welfare activities that strengthen UMPSA’s long-term excellence. (UMPSA News)

The Chancellor’s Endowment is structured around five pillars:

• Chair Endowment, to support specialised research chairs in high-impact fields
  
• Research Endowment, to translate academic expertise into industry-ready innovation
  
• Scholarship, Welfare and Student Welfare Endowment, to widen access and support student success
  
• Community Endowment, to back programmes that uplift local communities
  
• Alumni Endowment, to deepen engagement and opportunities for UMPSA graduates (UMPSA News)
  

A key highlight of the event was the presentation of a RM50 million endowment commitment to UMPSA by Pahang Aerospace City Development Berhad (PACDB) and Kintsugi (K2), represented by PACDB Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Professor Muhamad Nurazmi Abas and Kintsugi Managing Director Sean Teoh. The mock cheque handover was witnessed by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang and UMPSA Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Yatimah Alias. (UMPSA News)

Kintsugi (K2), a government-owned company from Abu Dhabi, focuses on advanced autonomous systems and AI-driven technologies in collaboration with PACDB. Together with UMPSA, this PACDB–Kintsugi partnership is positioned as a strategic engine for the development of Pahang Aerospace City, supporting the Pahang State Government’s ambition to establish the first regional hub integrating aviation, aerospace, space and future digital technologies. (UMPSA News)

Within this context, UMPSA will establish its first Venture Studio, now branded as Versus, which will serve as an innovation and commercialisation centre for startups in AI, autonomous systems and mobility technologies. The RM50 million PACDB–Kintsugi contribution, together with other endowment partners, will provide the long-term capital base needed to fund talent, research, prototyping and early venture-building activities within the Versus ecosystem. (UMPSA News)

In her address, Professor Dr Yatimah highlighted that sustained support from industry is essential for UMPSA’s aspiration to be recognised as an Advanced TVET Hub in ASEAN, noting that the university now collaborates with more than 800 industry partners across research, innovation and community projects. She also pointed to ongoing initiatives such as IoT-based smart farming systems and rural agro-projects that have already improved incomes and opportunities for small entrepreneurs and B40 communities in Pahang. (UMPSA News)

The Royal Hi Tea also showcased several other strategic contributions under the Chancellor’s Endowment. Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) Sdn Bhd committed 10 kilometres of used ECRL tracks, valued at RM19 million, to support prototype testing and demonstration of an Electric Smart Light Rail Transit (eSLRT) system at UMPSA’s Pekan campus. Additional support for the Chair Endowment came from organisations such as the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA), Lestari Aero Industries Sdn Bhd and TG Minerals Sdn Bhd, including collaboration on biofuel technologies and aerospace- and rare earth-related research. Under the Alumni Endowment, a partnership between IBINA and Yayasan Peneraju will deliver an internationally recognised Lean Six Sigma Green Belt programme worth RM3.88 million for 500 final-year students and alumni. (UMPSA News)

More than 200 guests, including representatives from international firms, government-linked companies and local industry, attended the event to explore new avenues for collaboration in research, talent development and community impact. For Versus, this moment marks the formal beginning of a long-term journey: building a pipeline of founders, engineers and innovators who will carry Pahang, and Malaysia, into the frontier of aerospace and future technologies. (UMPSA News)

About Versus
Versus is UMPSA’s venture studio platform, developed in partnership with Pahang Aerospace City Development Berhad (PACDB) and strategic industry partners. Versus exists to turn frontier research and deep technical capabilities into scalable companies in aerospace, AI, autonomous systems and future mobility, anchoring Pahang’s role in the regional space and frontier-tech economy.