The Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), recently organized a special sharing session entitled “Innovation & Commercialization” featuring distinguished speaker Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan Yeow Kiang, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Science, UTM. Held at UTM HELIxS, C17, the session provided valuable exposure to students, researchers, and academic staff on the realities of transforming creative ideas into successful commercial innovations.
The sharing session was inspired by the presentation “Secrets to Success: Turning Ideas into Innovations”, where Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan shared his extensive experience in innovation development, industrial commercialization, intellectual property management, and strategic leadership.
Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan is widely recognized for his impactful contributions in innovation and talent development, with more than 25 years of experience spanning academia, manufacturing, government advisory, and industrial collaboration. He currently serves as Science Advisor to the Penang State Government and has played a major role in strengthening science, technology, and workforce development initiatives in Malaysia. His professional achievements include receiving numerous innovation and inventor awards, as well as leading initiatives that bridge the gap between industry and academia.
During the session, Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan emphasized that innovation is not simply about generating creative ideas, but rather a structured journey involving conceptualization, validation, prototyping, intellectual property protection, valuation, and commercialization. He explained that successful innovation begins with identifying meaningful real-world problems and developing practical solutions that provide value to society and industry.
Participants were also introduced to various creative thinking methodologies such as brainstorming, mind mapping, design thinking, and the “iSketch” framework, which outlines key stages in developing innovative ideas. The framework focuses on observation, sketching, introducing new features, identifying advantages, and evaluating commercialization potential. Through these approaches, the audience gained a deeper understanding of how innovative concepts can be systematically developed into market-ready technologies.
A major highlight of the session was the discussion on the challenges faced by innovators during the commercialization phase, often referred to as the “Valley of Death,” where many inventions fail to reach the market due to financial limitations, technical barriers, or lack of market acceptance. Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan stressed the importance of persistence, resilience, and strategic planning in overcoming these challenges. He also highlighted the significance of intellectual property protection and valuation in strengthening commercialization opportunities and industry partnerships.
To demonstrate the practical application of the innovation journey, Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan shared a successful industrial case study involving the development of the Litewalk lightweight anti-slip steel grating system. The project showcased how engineering analysis, prototyping, laboratory validation, and industrial collaboration contributed to the successful commercialization of the technology. The innovation offered several advantages over conventional systems, including reduced weight, improved load-bearing capacity, enhanced anti-slip performance, and cost efficiency for industrial applications.
Beyond technical knowledge, the session delivered an inspiring message on leadership, determination, and the courage to innovate. Dato’ Dr. Bugs Tan encouraged researchers and students to remain resilient despite failures and obstacles, emphasizing that impactful innovation requires continuous learning, adaptability, and perseverance.
The sharing session aligns closely with UTM’s ASCEND 2030 agenda in strengthening innovation excellence, commercialization culture, and strategic collaboration between academia and industry. The Faculty of Science hopes that such engagements will continue to inspire future innovators and researchers to develop impactful technologies that contribute towards sustainable societal and industrial advancement.
For more research and innovation activities from the Faculty of Science, visit UTM Faculty of Science Research
