Research Institutes, Centres and Units - Universiti Sains Malaysia

National Higher Education
Research Institute (IPPTN)
Institut Penyelidikan Pendidikan Tinggi Negara (IPPTN), Malaysia or the National Higher
Education Research Institute, Malaysia was formally established by the National Council
on Higher Education (MPTN) and officially launched on 21stAugust 1997. Since its
establishment, IPPTN is hosted by Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang and is accountable
to the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) and the Vice-Chancellor, Universiti
Sains Malaysia.
IPPTN was established to strengthen and expand research efforts in all aspects of
higher education research concerning education policy, curriculum, administration,
human resources and manpower, infrastructure and their joint involvement. In addition,
IPPTN is active in its participation of international programmes and is often invited
by research centres for higher education and other institutions from abroad to be
involved in comparative research.
Research Activities
As an important research institution central to MOHE’s “Pursuing Excellence in Higher
Education” and “Regional Higher Education Hub” objectives, IPPTN’s research activities
are propelled to focus on improving Malaysia’s higher education policies. For this, IPPTN
has to continuously monitor both the national and global higher education landscapes.
IPPTN has, after ten years’ involvement in higher education policy research, developed
expertise in the analysis of several aspects of higher education encompassing;
• Curriculum development and the preparation of an entry-level workforce (including
employability and skill competencies studies)
• Governance of public universities
• Changing condition for academic work career
• Growth and development of transnational higher education services (including
international higher education scenario)
• Higher education and urban/regional engagement (including education cities)
• Higher education systems (Malaysia, China, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, USA,
ASEAN countries in particular Cambodia, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam)
IPPTN gives priority to research that explores emerging possibilities that will result in
a new higher education landscape in Malaysia within the context of the two objectives
for higher education noted earlier.