KOTA KINABALU: The inaugural Borneo International Conference on Business, Education, Economics and Management (BICBEEM 2026) is highly relevant to Sabah’s development, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor said.
He said the conference was an important step towards strengthening the state’s knowledge ecosystem and fostering collaboration between government, higher education institutions, industry and communities.
“I hope this conference will provide a platform for exchanging ideas and perspectives, while strengthening networks among participants, researchers, industry practitioners and the institutions involved,” he said.
His speech was delivered by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun at the opening ceremony at Raia Hotel here today.
Hajiji said research should be more closely aligned with the needs of society, industry and the state’s development.
Sabah offered many issues and opportunities for collaborative research, he said, including rural economic development, digital transformation, youth entrepreneurship, smart agriculture, community-based tourism, environmental sustainability, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and improving the competitiveness of the local economy.
“I hope researchers gathered here will view Sabah and Borneo as a living laboratory for research with both academic value and practical impact,” he said.
He added that the state wanted to see more joint research, exchanges of knowledge and expertise, industry participation, innovation, entrepreneurship programmes and initiatives that directly benefit communities.
Hajiji welcomed the strategic collaboration between the Institute for Government and People’s Cooperation (IKRAR), North Borneo University College (NBUC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the Borneo Universities Consortium (KUUB) in organising the conference.
He said the partnership showed how links between government and institutions could be strengthened to expand the sharing of knowledge, expertise and experience.
“More importantly, the networks established through BICBEEM should be used to connect academic expertise with the needs of government, industry and communities,” he said.
Sabah had considerable potential in its natural resources, strategic location, diverse society and talented younger generation, Hajiji said.
“However, potential alone is not enough. We must ensure these strengths are translated into economic opportunities, improved wellbeing for the people and sustainable development,” he said.
Also present during the event were Paginatan Datuk Rusdin Riman, Datuk Azrul Ibrahim, Chief Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr Zainuddin Sabu Director of IKRAR and attendees from the universities concerned, participants and delegations for of BICBEEM 2026.-BNN
