Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), through its Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA), recently organized the 2024 Convention of Innovation – Konvensyen Kumpulan Penggerak Inovasi (KKPI) as an effort to encourage an innovative and creative culture, or "KREANOVA," among university administrative and implementation officers, in line with efforts to improve service delivery effectiveness.

Held at the Gallery, Chancellory Building, the two-day convention attracted participation from 36 groups from various departments, faculties, centres, institutes, and divisions at UMS.

The categories contested included New Horizon for Innovative and Creative Groups (HB KIK), Lean Management, and Innovation Project Poster (A3 Project).

According to the CQA Director, Prof. Ir. Dr. Zainal Zakaria, cultivating innovation among officers is crucial to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of university services.

"Administrative and implementation officers are the backbone of the organization; hence, initiatives like this are essential for inspiring innovative thinking that can have a substantial impact on the quality-of-service delivery at UMS.

"This innovation initiative has demonstrated a positive impact on cost savings and the efficiency of UMS's management.

"Data shows that the 36 innovation projects competed in the convention contributed to operational cost savings of RM58,230.60, with an average saving of RM4,479.20 per project, alongside a reduction in the number of complaints received, from 1,819 to 383, indicating the improvement in efficiency achieved," he said in his speech at the convention.

He also expressed hope that the successes achieved through the KREANOVA projects could benefit the broader UMS community and other organizations.

"We hope that the projects generated from this convention not only improve the service quality of their respective departments but can also be shared with the entire UMS community and external organizations.

"May this innovation culture serve as an inspiration to the UMS community as a whole," he added.

At the convention, the Titans team from the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources (FSSA) won the HB KIK category with their Smart Kit Cycle project.

The second place was won by Syzygium Tech from the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FPL) with their Cassava Root Extracting Tool project, while ServIQ from the Centre for Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning (PPIB) secured third place with their E-Counter: Flexible and Convenient project.

In the Lean Management category, the i-Xam team from the Academic Services Division (BPA) was crowned champion with their Online Final Exam Information Filling project.

The ProFit team from FSSA and the Fteam from the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Accountancy (FPEP) won second and third places, respectively, with their Preparation of Meetings (ProMeets) and Online Hotel Reservation projects.

In the Innovation Project Poster (A3 Poster) category, Syzygium Tech from FPL took the first place, followed by CAED Smart Tech from the Centre for Academic Excellence and Development (PPKA) in second place, and i-Star from BPA in third place.