UTP’s CISIR Recognised as a National Higher Education Centre of Excellence
(19 August 2025)
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS’ (UTP) Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR) has officially graduated as a Higher Education Centre of Excellence (HICoE) – Batch 2014.
This prestigious national distinction, awarded by the Department of Higher Education (JPT) under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), recognises research centres that have matured through rigorous evaluation, demonstrating sustained quality, leadership, and global impact.
CISIR earned this honour for its pioneering work in the niche area of Neuro Imaging under Biomedical Image Analysis. Since its establishment, the centre has grown into a leading hub for neurotechnology, brain imaging, and intelligent healthcare solutions, consistently pushing the boundaries of discovery and application for societal, workplace, health, and safety challenges.
In particular, CISIR’s research focuses on mental states and quality education. In the area of mental states, the centre has advanced research into workforce productivity, including studies on mental stress among energy industry workforce and new techniques to assess mental resilience among early year educators as well as nurses.
In quality education research, CISIR explores how neurotechnology can enhance education, such as investigation about the impacts of 3D multimedia learning materials on learning and simultaneous brain scanning in assessing the effectiveness of different teaching methods. These efforts align with the 11th Malaysia Plan and 3rd National Key Result Areas (Education).
CISIR’s leadership in the field has been marked by key milestones. It was appointed the first Optical Topography Hub outside Japan, by Hitachi, strengthening international collaboration in brain imaging research. In 2017, it hosted the International Neuroinformatics Congress, elevating Malaysia’s presence in the global neuroinformatics community. Today, CISIR also serves as the Malaysia Node for the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF), firmly embedding the country in the international neuroinformatics ecosystem.
Its excellence has been acknowledged globally, with CISIR Director Prof Dr Tang Tong Boon becoming the first Malaysian to win the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Mountbatten Medal in 2020 for contributions to neurotechnology in mental healthcare. Earlier, in 2018 and 2019, CISIR’s young researchers Aishah Ismail and Feng Ying Xing were awarded Merdeka Award Grants, securing research attachments at world-renowned institutions such as MIT — further amplifying Malaysian innovation on the global stage.
CISIR’s strength lies not only in research excellence but also in delivering real-world impact. Its innovations include the Resilience Assessment System for the Mind (RASMi), the Neuroimaging Differentials Evaluation (NIDE), and the Awake EEG Neuromarkers for autism spectrum disorder. These technologies showcase Malaysia’s ability to develop homegrown neurotechnology solutions that improve healthcare outcomes and societal well-being.
The centre has also been recognised for its role in occupational safety, being awarded the Centre of Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH-COE) 2023 in Workplace Mental Health by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR). This recognition underscores CISIR’s growing reputation as an industry partner of choice for mental resilience and neuroergonomic solutions, particularly in high-demand sectors.
With a growing international profile, CISIR has secured funding from abroad, hosted visiting researchers from around the world, and welcomed international students for research internships. At the same time, it remains deeply committed to developing local talent, offering postgraduate programmes, consultancy, and short courses ranging from EEG and fNIR analysis to machine learning and artificial intelligence. Through these initiatives, CISIR has become a national reference centre for neurotechnology research, while also building strong linkages with NGOs, industries, and communities to promote awareness and adoption of neurotechnology.
Reflecting on the milestone, Prof Tang, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said, “At CISIR, our foremost goal is to translate research into solutions that directly benefit society and elevate quality of life. From advancing neurotechnology for healthcare to developing tools that support education and workforce well-being, our work reflects UTP’s commitment to turning research into meaningful impact. This recognition reaffirms CISIR’s role as a driver of innovation and strengthens UTP’s standing as a global hub for research excellence dedicated to shaping a better, more sustainable future.”
