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Knowledge Resource for Science and Technology Excellence of Malaysia (KRSTE.my)
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Malaysia

The Problem

Information about science and technology (S&T) are readily available in the internet and various data sources, such as different information systems, web pages of researchers, universities and organizations. Finding relevant information is a time consuming process. One needs to search through broad coverage of resources ranging from library catalogues, various databases, and digital repositories to websites.

There is a need to build a national repository for science and technology for relevant information to be collected, classified and aggregated.

KRSTE.my was developed in response to the need for a consolidated National Research & Development (R&D) Databank. KRSTE.my was developed as the research inventory system that was crystallized from MOSTI’s Information Systems Plan report findings Through KRSTE.my, consolidated information related to S&T can be accessed, visualized, presented and analyzed rapidly.

Key benefits of KRSTE.my:
• Promote management of structured and free-formed “Institutional Memory”;
• Avoid “Reinventing the Wheel” in terms of requirements for data and information;
• A national resource centre for data, information and knowledge artefact on R&D in S&T;
• A gateway to local research output/knowledge sources and research publications in universities, research institutes and other organizations;
• Register all R&D output for local scientists, researchers and organizations; and
• Supports National R&D, education and industry development.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
In no more than 500 words, summarize the achievement(s) implemented; how the impact was measured, quantitatively and qualitatively, and who benefited from it. Please note that the summary should be in narrative, not point form.
KRSTE.my is a knowledge management system, a hub for R&D in the domain of Science, Technology and Innovation. KRSTE.my Portal serves as a Single Point of Access to the wealth of knowledge artefacts from various internal and external systems and sources. KRSTE.my also serves to facilitate users to personalize management and innovative means of sharing of knowledge; and promote collaboration and life-long learning among users. It is a comprehensive reference point for those seeking the most elusive of data and information, whether one is looking for general data on organisations and institutions involved in R&D, or specific, seemingly classified information related to funds available for R&D, to even valuable breakthrough advice about accessible R&D Facilities (i.e. labs, specialised equipment etc.) as well as information on relevant personnel, researchers and experts, including their CVs. KRSTE.my host valuable information on R&D output - such as project papers, presentations, journals, reports and statistics. KRSTE.my will also be a vital platform for collaboration and networking for those involved in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

KRSTE.my provides an alternative for user to browse through the vast content available in the knowledge base by grouping related group of information into 11 knowledge domains as listed below:
i) Agriculture;
ii) Biodiversity and Environment;
iii) Biotechnology;
iv) Business and Economics;
v) Engineering Sciences;
vi) ICT;
vii) Industry;
viii) Sea to Space (S2S);
ix) Science & Technology (S&T) Core;
x) Social Science; and
xi) Medical.

Each knowledge domain has one or more classification of field of research grouped under the domain.

The availability of various Dashboards will facilitate systematic and easier benchmarking and measurement of indicators, while the constant on-going upgradement of its features and functionalities will keep enriching its knowledge-base.KRSTE.my aims to become the resource and information base for individuals and organisations ranging from Decision Makers and Policy Formatters, to Researchers, Scholars, Educationists and Students as well as those in Industries as it provides valuable input for analysis when formulating strategic policies and economic forecasts. Access to local and indigenous research output and strategic indicators will also help researchers optimise funding, align R&D output, support commercialisation and national development, and significantly enhance the economic analysis of potential technologies.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The system was initiated and implemented by MASTIC, a division under MOSTI. Throughout the development stages, stakeholders from within the Ministry and external parties such as Universities and other Institute of Higher Learning and Government Agencies including Research Institutes were engaged to acquire input and requirements from the system to ensure that the system is rigorous in approach.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The KRSTE.my Portal has been developed over numerous phases.

In Phase 1, the setting up of the platform started in April 2004 and took 6 months to complete.

Phase 2 & 3 (KRSTE.my R2) focused on the enhancement and expansion of the KRSTE.my, with emphasis on the portal's features and capabilities. Duration of this phase was from March 2005 to December 2005.

After the foundations were laid, Phase 4 and 5 shifted to the tedious and laborious task of enriching its content and enhancing its capabilities, in line with Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Research, Development and Commercialisation (RD&C) national strategies.

To date, the enhancement of the KRSTE.my services, which has expanded into its Third Generation Version (KRSTE.my R3), has become the main focus. The evolution of the KRSTE.my portal from version R2 to R3 is also in response to the need for a National R&D Databank. KRSTE.my is built on a Federated Distributed System (FDSS) Concept. By using Kapow Mashup Server, this system allows :
i) Internet-based networking and access to remote distributed databases;
ii) Pulls and pushes Information/data across varying knowledge systems;
iii) Allows real time “streaming” of information that are kept current at source; and
iv) Does not interfere or intrude into database systems.

KRSTE.my will automatically include and update all contents from local and international public domains.

KRSTE.my is applicable for foreign investors and collaborators who are interested to commercialise and work with local researchers. MASTIC is planning to work closely with MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia) to encourage and promote KRSTE.my to the International Community. There are several discussion have been carried out with agencies under MITI especially SME Corp on data sharing of research findings and innovations by local researchers which have commercialization potential. This platform could be used by foreign investors and collaborators as an advantage to seek business partners and to enhance networking.

The system can be accessed freely, provided all users must register first through the URL: www.krste.my.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Heterogeneous data from various sources related to the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) domain can be represented using ontological modelling. Data about researchers, research organisations, research projects, publications and research facilities are represented in Resource Description Framework (RDF), enabling all the data to relate to each other and can be easily made accessible to the user. Reusing standard existing vocabularies such as Friend-of-A-Friend (FOAF), Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) and Semantically-Interlinked Online Communities (SIOC) also enable knowledge reusability and interoperability. KRSTE.my System implements the techniques used to model the ontology for Malaysia Science, Technology and Innovation Knowledge Base system using Malaysian Research and Development Classification System (MRDCS) developed by MASTIC.

The databases and Commercial Online Information which are being incorporated will become valuable resources to KRSTE.my. These valuable resources are known as the Contents of KRSTE.my which is listed and being populated into the Knowledge Taxonomy structure specific to MOSTI’s area of interest.

Below is the summary of the type of contents being incorporated:
• Publications such as News, Journals, Reports, Articles;
• S&T Information base consists of S&T Professionals Profile, Research Projects, Latest Technology updates and etc;
• “QuickFact” by providing a platform for the users to obtain “One-Click” information where the KRSTE.my is able to provide statistics, analysis and reports related to a specific knowledge areas. These contents are such as Qualification by Country, S&T Professional by Research Areas, and more;
• Bibliography information of the Internal Official Documents such as Reports, Minutes of Meetings, Proceedings and etc; and
• Sources – Various government departments and Agencies.

Learning Contents. Learning packages that being developed in-house or imported will be published and listed for the benefit of the knowledge workers community.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
More improvements are required for the improvisation of ontology model of the STI in KRSTE.

Duplication of references in the knowledge base needs to be addressed and it can be improved by using entity resolution techniques to enable the elimination of duplicate projects, documents and person.

In addition, the current MRDCS classification is developed based on English language terms only. Future enhancements will include Malay language terms to allow for contextual search based on Malaysia’s national language.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The KRSTE project was developed closely with MIMOS, an agency under MOSTI which provide the technology know-how. During development of KRSTE.my, some 93 organisations were engaged to enquire relevant source of information on R&D activities in Malaysia. The information provider comprises Universities and other Institute of Higher Learning, Government Agencies including Research Institutes, Business Entities and NGOs.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
During development of KRSTE.my, various organisations were engaged to enquire relevant source of information on R&D activities in Malaysia. Organisations comprise:

• Universities and other Institute of Higher Learning;
• Government Agencies including Research Institutes;
• Private Companies; and
• NGOs

MASTIC is currently working on several ways to promote KRSTE.my especially among the researchers in Malaysia. Some of the main MASTIC initiatives are:
• KRSTE portal can be accessed through Institutional of Higher Learning, Government Agencies, Library and other relevant organization website & portal;
• Continuous engagement with relevant organisations and other potential information provider through various meetings, discussions and forums;
• Organise road shows involving relevant organisations and researchers to get information on KRSTE.my as well to capture updated information on R&D activities; and
• Taking part in many of its Ministry events organised by cluster agencies as a platform to promote KSTRE.my to the public especially researchers.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The impacts from the project are listed as follows:
i) The number of registered user for the system up until November 2011 is over 20,000 users.
ii) Availability of strategic and reliable S&T Info that provide informed decision by policy makers;
iii) Tracking facilities or audit trail which facilitate effort in of IP protection; It also enable analysis of information for benefit capture;
iv) External forum from multiple source (e.g. On-line biology) enable networking, collaboration among knowledge workers;
v) Repackaging of information for specific needs that can reduce search time for information and learning material;
vi) Online streaming of information which offers real time information from source
vii) Context based search which reduce search time; more accurate search to meet with specific work needs;

viii) Research Trends provides management of R&D at policy level through understanding performance pattern;
ix) Single log On to multiple information source which reduce search time and the need for multiple system log-in; and
x) Availability of R&D Grid to ensure information is secured, enable audit trail; facilitate IP protection; provide effective and efficient networking and knowledge workers connectivity.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Tan Yit Quin
Title:   Dr.  
Telephone/ Fax:   (603) 8885 8039/ (603) 8889 2980
Institution's / Project's Website:   http://www.mastic.gov.my
E-mail:   krste@mastic.gov.my  
Address:   Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre (MASTIC), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Level 4, Block C5, Complex C, Federal Government Administrative Cent
Postal Code:   62662
City:   Putrajaya
State/Province:   Federal Territory Putrajaya
Country:   Malaysia

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