Two ECE academic staff represent Curtin at IDECS
MIRI: Two academic staff members under the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of Curtin University, Malaysia Faculty of Engineering and Science represented the university at the recent International ICT Infrastructure and Digital Economy Conference Sarawak 2017 (IDECS 2017) in Kuching.
Senior lecturers Dr Ling Huo Chuo and Dr Garenth Lim King Hann attended the two-day conference, which was aimed at raising the awareness of the digital economy among local businesses, enabling them to tap into larger markets.
The conference at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) was a collaboration between the state government, Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (Scope) and Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (Sains).
It was divided into three ‘tracks’ – ‘Enabling Technologies and Infrastructure for Digital Economy’; ‘Transforming and Transitioning People, Government, Commerce and Industries to the Digital-EconomyReady’; and ‘Integrating with Global Digital Economy’.
According to Dr Ling, the conference served as a great platform for business start-ups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), members of the local business community, as well as policymakers and academicians, to discuss and exchange ideas with experts from both the public and private sectors on the latest developments in ICT infrastructure and digital economy, particularly in Sarawak.
“IDECS 2017 was a brilliant initiative by the Sarawak government and evident of its strong will and commitment in transforming Sarawak via the development of digital economy,” Dr Ling said.
Meanwhile, Dr Lim believed that institutions of tertiary education like Curtin Malaysia could play a critical role in the transformation of Sarawak to become a digital economy given its location in the state, familiarity with the local market, as well as strong industry links and expertise in the field.
IDECS 2017 featured 21 prominent speakers including Tapscott Group Inc chief executive officer (CEO) Don Tapscott, Lazada Malaysia CEO Hans-Peter Ressel, Neorowave. io co-founder and CEO Mark Smalley, International Data Corporation chief analyst Philip Carter, Grab Malaysia country head Sean Goh, and Sains CEO Dato Teo Tien Hiong. Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg declared open the conference.