QIU is strengthening its growing reputation for impactful research, with Faculty of Social Sciences’ Associate Professor Dr Tilagavati Subramaniam and her team securing a RM40,000 grant under the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) Grant 2026.
The grant will support PROJEK HOPE (Holistic Opportunities for Progress & Empowerment), which seeks to empower the Orang Asli community in Kampung Tonggang, Tambun, Perak through sustainable development initiatives.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Tilagavati, who is also Head of QIU’s School of Communication, will lead the project alongside Dr Ruuhina Mohd Sani, Dr Anna Arokia Nathen and Ms Ummu Hani Yahaya. The team will work with the community to develop initiatives aimed at creating meaningful and sustainable opportunities, reflecting QIU’s commitment to research that addresses real-world challenges and contributes directly to society.
The latest achievement adds to a growing series of research successes for QIU academics in recent months, demonstrating the breadth and calibre of research being undertaken across the University.
Earlier in August, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy Associate Professor Dr Ng Yen Ping secured the Exploratory and Transformative (GET) Grant 2026 for research into methods used to estimate the 24-hour area under the curve of vancomycin in haemodynamically stable patients. At the same time, a team of five academics from the Faculty of Business and Management received a Geran Penyelidikan Jangka Pendek from the Faizuddin Centre of Educational Excellence for a study examining the integration of emotional intelligence into the zakat system in Perlis.
These achievements were followed by an even larger milestone when Professor Dr Aman Shah Abdul Majid of the Faculty of Medicine was awarded the prestigious MRANTI Industrial Grant Award 2026, securing RM1 million to advance research and commercialisation in natural product therapeutics. The project, undertaken in collaboration with biotechnology company Natureceuticals Sdn Bhd, focuses on the development and commercialisation of a botanical therapeutic for cancer-related fatigue.
Taken together, these grants reflect more than the ability of QIU researchers to secure external funding. They demonstrate the confidence placed in the University’s academics by external grant providers and partners, while highlighting the diverse expertise within QIU — spanning healthcare, pharmaceutical research, business, social development and community empowerment.
The range of projects also underscores QIU’s approach to research: pursuing work that is academically rigorous while remaining closely connected to the needs of communities, industry and society.
For QIU, the continued success of its academics in competitive grant opportunities represents an important indicator of its developing research standing. Each award creates opportunities for researchers to generate new knowledge, collaborate with external stakeholders and translate their expertise into outcomes that can make a tangible difference.
QIU congratulates Assoc. Prof. Dr Tilagavati and her team on securing the APPGM-SDG Grant 2026 and wishes them every success in advancing PROJEK HOPE and creating meaningful, sustainable impact for the Kampung Tonggang community.
