ENGINEERING AS A PROFESSION

BOARD OF ENGINEERING MALAYSIA

Route to Professional Engineer

Normally for graduates in engineering field (BSc in - Civil, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering).

To become a professional engineer must register with the board of engineers (BEM) Malaysia upon their graduation.

A suitable working experience including design, tender documentation, installation, construction, supervision, testing and commissioning, maintenance, liaison with respective authorities (TNB, Telecom, Water, Waste Department etc)

Route to Professional Engineer

Board of Engineering Malaysia A statutory body constitute under the Registration of

Engineers Act 1967. Formed on 23 August 1972 Falls under the domain of responsibility of Ministry of

Works. The appointment of Board Members and the Registrar

is made by the Minister. Consists of few members, namely:

Management Committee Engineers Ac Committee Application Committee Scale and Fees Committee Examination & Qualification Committee Publication Committee, etc.

Functions of BEM Maintaining Register

The Board keeps and maintain a Register, which shall be in 5 parts: Part A – which shall contain the names, addresses

and other particulars of Professional Engineers. Part B – which shall contain the names, addresses

and other particulars of Graduate Engineers. Part C – which shall contain the names, addresses

and other particulars of Temporary Engineers. Part D – which shall contain the names, addresses

and other particulars of engineering consultancy practices.

Part E – which shall contain the names, addresses and other particulars of Accredited Checkers.

Processing Applications for Registrations Assess the quality of experience gained by

Graduate Engineers and his competency through Professional Assessment Examination (PAE).

Every application for registration as Graduate Engineer, professional Engineer, Engineering Consulting Practice, Temporary Engineer by foreign engineers, is examined thoroughly by the Application Committee. This is to ensure compliance with the Act and with BEM policies.

BEM applied restrictions on practices of body corporate with the aim that engineering consulting services provided by these bodies corporate would be done professionally for the benefit of the client/public.

Functions of BEM

Functions of BEM Assessment of Academic Qualifications

Assess and accredits engineering degrees offered by institutions of higher learning through its membership in Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC).

An accreditation team was formed and members appointed by EAC.

The Accredited Team shall visit the institution to view the facilities and have dialogues with academic staffs and students.

The list of recognized degrees for local institutions of higher learning shall be updated every year by BEM.

Regulating the Conduct and Ethics of Engineering Profession Acts as a medium for engineers to decide on matters

relating to their professional conducts and ethics. Any matters concerning the professional conduct of

registered engineers will be studied by the Board to determine whether there is a breach of professional ethics and code.

If the need arises, BEM will carry out investigations and following the procedures prescribed in Section 15.

If breach professional ethics/code – actions taken are warning, censure (show disaproval), advice, suspension or cancellation of registration, depending on seriousness of breach.

Functions of BEM

Scale of Fees BEM Scale of Fees Committee continues to have

dialogue sessions with the Federal Treasury on issues involving mode of remuneration, quantum and conditions of payment.

  Publication

Publication Committee undertakes the task of promoting engineering profession through Buletin Ingenieur and other printed materials.

Buletin Ingenieur is publishes in March, June, September and December, is used to communicate information on the activities of the Board, regulations, code of ethics, career development, update guidelines and news.

Functions of BEM

Promotion and Continued Learning and Education BEM will consider providing financial

assistance to seminars and conferences by non-profit organizations.

As long as the seminar or conference are technical and would benefit registered engineers.

BEM would also consider giving grants for selected studies related to engineering or contribute prizes for selected competitions related to engineering.

Functions of BEM

ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Understanding Technology Transfer

Definition 1: The movement of technological and technology-

related organizational know-how among partners (individuals, institutions, and enterprises) in order to enhance at least one partner’s knowledge and expertise and strengthen each partner’s competitive position.

Definition 2: The acquisition and adaptation of production

techniques from one country or firm to another and its application in a local production process.

Technology transfer occurs throughout all stages of the innovation process, from initial idea to final product.

Technology transfer can take place via informal interactions; formal consultancies, publications, workshops, personnel exchanges, and joint projects involving group of experts from different organizations; and the more readily measured activities such as patenting, copyright licensing, and contract (cooperative) research.

Understanding Technology Transfer

Technology and Knowledge Transfer Process

4 Steps in Technology Transfer Process Introduction to the technology Acquiring the technology Adapting the technology to local

conditions Domestic testing and debugging

(repair/make correction)

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Innovation Process Defined as “the successful exploitation of new

ideas”. Innovate: From the Latin innovare, to make new.

To change into something new, to alter, to renew, to introduce novelties, to make changes in something established a new shoot at the end of a branch

Most important role is “to inject the adrenalin of innovation into the bloodstream of the economy”.

Universities to “support activities that will increase their capability to respond to the needs of business”.

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Isis (Oxford Univ.) Innovation A company owned by the university of

oxford To help researchers who wish to

commercialise the results of their research

Licensing of intellectual property Formation of new companies Offering consulting and service contracts

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Isis Innovation Royalty sharing: revenue up to $130K,

inventors get 60%; up to $1.3m:30% and over $1.3m:15%

Projects: glyscosciences, molecular, asymmetry, powderject, biomedical; total at sale for $2bil.

Oxford Innovation Society: currently over 90 companies have taken advantage of the opportunity, to shape one of the most successful technology transfer networks.

2500 researchers/2000 doctoral students in sci and medicine

Annual research income $400m

Reasons for Technology Transfer A country can choose among different

scientific and technological knowledge appropriate for its development objectives.

Import of technological expertise would ease the problem of skilled labour shortage.

Increase productivity in industries in order to be more competitive.

Avoids unnecessary investments in time and capital to venture into areas which other countries have already developed.

Avoids costly and burdensome fundamental research.

Drawbacks of Technology Transfer Costly imports of expensive equipment, foreign

raw material, maintenance, parts, assistance, etc. Burden foreign exchange.

Focus is lost in the transfer process if t is not well defined as the scope of technology is very wide.

Lack of knowledge of proper methods of technology transfer on the part of one or both parties.

Lack of mechanism for transfer of technology. It is not merely learning to perform production and operations, but to do basic engineering, planning, design, specification, process design, etc.

Lack of a comprehensive information system. No documentation.

Types of University-Industry Technology Transfer

Informal Contacts, Consulting, and Personnel Exchange U.S and Germany Science & Engineering faculties are allowed to

spend 20% of their time on consulting with industry (establish long term relationship, enable to earn extra income, cultivate industrial funding source of research, and create opportunities for graduate student theses)

U.S. faculty are paid on a 9-month basis and expected to make up the 3-month salary gap as well as fund most of their research with grants.

German faculty are civil servants paid on a 12-month basis, and their research is supported by institutional research funds

In the U.S, leading research universities often engage in temporary exchange of research personnel with private industry in the context of collaborative research projects

German technical universities appointed as professors high-level researchers from industry and faculty members maintain close ties to their industries of origin through consultancies and contract research

Cooperative Research Important means of technology transfer to industry U. S institutions setting up UIRCs (University-

Industry Research Center) to facilitate industry access to university research results and otherwise, promote technology transfer to participating firms in exchange for sustained funding from companies.

In Germany, setting up An-Institutes in response to the growing demand for technology transfer from academia to industry and legally independent entities in order to achieve more administrative flexibility than regular university institutes (adapt more easily to the needs of industry)

Types of University-Industry Technology Transfer

Patent Licensing Most American universities have established

offices that support the patenting of inventions and the active marketing of these patents.

Most German universities, the right to exploit inventions rests exclusively with the individual professor or inventor involved, not with the inventor’s host institution.

Patent licensing is relatively less important such as microelectronics, where current technology life cycles are short.

Types of University-Industry Technology Transfer

Start-up Companies Play critical role in the transfer and

commercialization of fast-moving, science-based technology in the United States via movement or spin-out of researchers from universities.

Types of University-Industry Technology Transfer

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Issuesref: Director General, EPU (National Innovation Summit 29 April 2004)

Lack of an innovation culture Focus areas to develop indigenous capabilities

in strategic and key technologies are too broad Improved efforts to strengthen SME

technological capability Inadequate technology diffusion activities Mismatch of R&D activities with market trends Low rate of commercialisation of R&D findings Insufficient attention to the growth and needs of

knowledge-intensive service sectors

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Action For Innovation And GrowthRef: Director General, EPU (National Innovation Summit 29 April 2004) Implementation of the S&T Policy Enhance National Innovation System (Specific

Committee and study for technology forsight) Increase rate of commercialization of R&D findings:

accord priority of projects; enhance public-private sector collaboration

Improve the entire value chain from R&D to commercialization

Review funding mechanism Greater emphasis on demand-driven approach Increase development of technopreneurs Emphasis on HRD development Develop new area of growth

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Effective University-Industry Technology Transfer

An investigation of univ-industry in robotics and intelligent systems

in Canada (M. Daiziel 1994): 82% of academics wished to increase their contact

with industry. 100% of academics without experience in interacting

with industry wished to increase their level of interaction.

52% of industrialist wished to interact more with university researchers.

77% of firms who had experience with academics high ability to absorb technologies to which they had been exposed by university researchers, wished to interact more.

Academic interest in interaction was rated higher than the industry respondents

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Effectiveness of Technology Transfer MechanismsLeast Effectiveness: University Research

Chairs Licensing Seminar and

Workshops Member Company

Programs Newsletters

Most Effectiveness: Collaborative Research University Sabbaticals

in industry Contract Research Industry Visit to

universities Student Projects and

Work terms in industry

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Barriers To University-industry InteractionFor Academics: Other deadlines or

commitment get priority

Publications gain respect of peers

Logistical overheads Lack of an industrial

receptor capacity (not industrially-oriented)

For Industry: Different time

frame and sense of urgency

Academics not interested in industrial problems

Industrial secrecy

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Strategies for Increasing Effective Technology Transfer Involve industry in Applied Research Increase industrial R&D Investment Promote University-Industry

Communications Increase funding for most effective

transfer mechanisms Change academic environment to

promote industry interaction

ENGINEERING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Introduction The environment has long been concern of

society. Human activity can pollute air or water and may threatening the earth as a planet. For these reasons protection of the environment has assumed greater significance.

Environmental Issues Air Pollution Chemical Pollution Climate Change Habitats and Land Flora and Fauna Exploitation of the Resources Population Hydrology High Tech Pollution Risks

Environmental Regulations Environment Protection Act 1990 (EPA) Water Resources Act 1991 Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 Clean Air Act 1993 Environment Act 1995 Special waste regulations 1996

Strategies To Make The Factory Environmental Friendly Products designed for lower

environmental impacts over their life cycle. Keep the design simple by using as few materials

as possible. Also incorporate as many functions as possible into any single part without compromising function.

Recycle and reuse of materials. Make sure that packaging, shipping, and other

peripheral requirements can be recycle and reuse. Look for ways to use recycled materials as the starting compounds for a product. Design reusable shipping vehicles.

Strategies To Make The Factory Environmental Friendly Substitutions for toxic inputs.

Find other materials that are environmental friendly. Seek out nonhazardous solvents and cleaning materials. Avoid secondary finishes, toxic materials, and heavy metals that can contaminate the material.

Improve efficiencies of energy and material use. Reduce energy consumption by eliminating

unnecessary manufacturing steps.

Strategies To Make The Factory Environmental Friendly Reduce waste.

Look to reduce waste by-product streams in manufacturing processes. Find multiple or secondary uses for a product. Disposal will be less of a problem if a product has more intrinsic value. As an example a container protecting a product could also store the accessories that come with it.

Use low-emissions production systems. As example, make use of solar energy.