(Borneo Post; July 27th, 2002)

KUCHING: The smart partnership between Swinburne Sarawak Institute of Technology and Sarawak Information Systems (SAINS) will further promote and facilitate the quality of teaching and learning in the former.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) that sealed the pact, was not only appropriate but timely, in addressing the challenges of the digital age, said the State Secretary Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain.

He said this when witnessing the signing of the MoA between the two institutions here, yesterday. The MoA is for the use of Angkasa, an integrated Multimedia Library Management System which had been developed by SAINS to serve the e-library of Swinburne Sarawak.

According to Aziz, this would allow Swinburne Sarawak the full use of the application with an assured level of service support and maintenance without the worry and cost of actually owning the system.

He added that the system would come with the modules such as acquisition, cataloguing, serial management, OPAC, circulation, resource scheduling and electronic document delivery, among others.

On the formation of SAINS, he recalled: "Ten years ago we embarked on a bold and untried strategy to chart the ICT direction for the state government through the formation of SAINS.

"Among other things our objective was to develop local skills and competencies for the creation and implementation of ICT solutions for the public sector."

Thus today, he said, the substantial group of local talents so nurtured, could not only provide for most of the ICT requirements of the State government solutions, but also produce quality ICT solutions for the private sector.

He was confident that the smart partnership could be extended in the immediate future, to include industry based learning co-operation, reciprocal promotion of the respective organisation's web sites,

technology consultation and possible joint research and development (R&D) work.

Earlier, SAINS chief executive officer Teo Tien Hiong said the pact would in future serve as a business reference for SAINS' prospective customers.

Also speaking at the function was deputy vice-chancellor cum chief executive officer of Swinburne Sarawak, Professor Kenneth Heskin.