UTM ASCEND 2030

utm next strategic plan 2026 – 2030 (Work-in-progress)

The UTM Strategic Plan 2026-2030 (UTM ASCEND 2030) represents UTM’s commitment to transforming into a resilient, innovative, and socially responsible institution. It sets forth four Pillars of Distinctive Eminence, six Strategic Objectives aimed at ensuring UTM’s relevance and leadership in an evolving global landscape, particularly within higher education and research. These objectives align with our mission, vision and core priorities, including fostering adaptive graduates, pioneering sustainable and integrated knowledge practices, enhancing financial resilience, and establishing UTM Kuala Lumpur as a central hub for STEM.

The journey to UTM ASCEND 2030 has involved extensive consultation and collaboration across all university levels and stakeholders. Initiating with the establishment of a dedicated task force in early 2024, the plan’s development followed a systematic approach including Strategic Management Series & Idea Bank, Faculty & Top Management Engagements, Alignment & Prioritisation Workshops and Finalisation & Refinement.

UTM ASCEND 2030 is yet to be finalised, and the information available here will be updated from time to time.

Launching Countdown

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Four Pillars of Distinctive Eminence

UTM ASCEND 2030 reflects the university’s collective ambition to scale new heights of excellence, inspired by the spirit of UTM Sanjungan Bangsa. The four Teras Keunggulan Terbilang outlined represent UTM’s commitment to advancing knowledge, empowering talents, ensuring sustainability, and upholding humanity-centred values. These Pillars of Distinctive Eminence reflect our shared aspiration to become the pride of the nation—UTM Sanjungan Bangsa—through impactful education, innovation, and ethical leadership.



Lonjakan Kebitaraan

“Lonjakan Kebitaraan” represents UTM’s commitment to establishing itself as a globally recognised research university through strategic investments in high-impact research centres, scholarly excellence, and commercialisation of research outputs.



Bakat Global

“Bakat Global” focuses on attracting learners to UTM and the holistic development of students (learners) to become future-ready professionals equipped with global competencies.



Kemampanan & Kelestarian

“Kemampanan & Kelestarian” emphasises sustainable development and financial resilience by optimising resources, infrastructure, and operational efficiency.



Kemanusiaan & Kesejahteraan

“Kemanusiaan & Kesejahteraan” underscores UTM’s commitment to humanity-centric development by prioritising ethical leadership, well-being, and social responsibility.

Quick Facts & Figures

Pillars of Distinctive Eminence

Strategic Objectives

Desired States

Strategic Initiatives

Timeline

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border_radii="on|6px|6px|6px|6px" box_shadow_style="preset4" box_shadow_horizontal="8px" box_shadow_vertical="8px" global_colors_info="{}"][/dmpro_timeline_item][dmpro_timeline_item date="12 Jun 2024" title="A roundtable discussion was held with Pn Latifah Daud, ex-HR strategic from Khazanah to discuss key issues on managing talents and strengthening institutional governance." timeline_icon="||divi||400" timeline_icon_color="#2ea3f2" _builder_version="4.27.4" _module_preset="default" header_font="Poppins||||||||" header_font_size="14px" header_line_height="1.5em" date_text_font="Poppins||||||||" date_text_font_size="14px" hover_enabled="0" border_radii="on|6px|6px|6px|6px" box_shadow_style="preset4" box_shadow_horizontal="-8px" box_shadow_vertical="8px" global_colors_info="{}"][/dmpro_timeline_item][dmpro_timeline_item date="16 Jul 2024" title="Top management delivered their aspirations for 2030 and spent some time developing a total of 294 strategic factors (SWOT)." 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What’s Next?

This section compiles key reference documents to help faculties and centres align their planning with UTM ASCEND 2030. Although the plan is still being finalised, many have already begun internal discussions. To ensure coherence and avoid parallel strategic plans, faculties are encouraged to adopt UTM ASCEND 2030 as the single institutional strategic plan and build their Action Plans accordingly. Here, you’ll find the latest draft of UTM ASCEND 2030, the Action Plan Toolkit, and other essential resources to guide your next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is UTM ASCEND 2030 the only strategic plan for UTM?

Yes. UTM ASCEND 2030 is the single institutional strategic plan that guides all faculties, centres, and units. It replaces the need for each PTJ to craft a separate strategic plan. Instead, PTJs should align their action plans to the strategic objectives and desired states in UTM ASCEND 2030.

2. What is the difference between a Strategic Plan and an Action Plan?

The strategic plan outlines long-term university-wide goals (the “why” and “what”), while an action plan focuses on short-to-mid-term execution at the PTJ level (the “how,” “who,” and “when”). Refer to the comparison table provided above for more detail.

3. Can faculties or centres modify the Strategic Objectives or Desired States?

No. Strategic Objectives (SOs) and Desired States (DSs) are fixed and university-endorsed. However, PTJs may prioritise specific SOs/DSs that are most relevant to their context and develop targeted actions around them.

4. How do I start developing our PTJ’s action plan?

You can use the Action Plan Toolkit provided in this section. It includes a structured template and drop-down menus for selecting strategic objectives. The toolkit ensures alignment and simplifies reporting.

5. How often should action plans be updated?

Action plans should be updated annually or as needed. Progress should be monitored quarterly or semi-annually depending on the PTJ’s internal review cycle.

6. What is the approval process for our PTJ’s action plan?

Action plans are approved at the PTJ level (e.g., Dean or Director) but must clearly reference which SOs or DSs they support. They may be reviewed centrally to ensure alignment.

7. Can we customise KPIs in the Action Plan?

Yes, KPIs can be customised based on PTJ context, but they should still align with or contribute toward the overarching KPIs or Desired States defined in UTM ASCEND 2030.

8. How will the university monitor progress?

Through periodic reporting mechanisms coordinated by the Office of Strategy & Corporate Affairs. More details on reporting formats and timelines will be shared in the next phase.

Current Draft of UTM ASCEND 2030

This is the current draft of UTM ASCEND 2030, which is an excerpt from the Mini LPU Retreat held on 18-19 April 2025. Click the button below and proceed with requesting access using your UTM email address. Our team will verify the request and drop you an email accordingly.

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Slide Deck from Mini LPU Retreat

This section features selected presentation decks shared during the Mini LPU Retreat 2025, offering insights into key deliberations, strategic considerations, and leadership direction that informed the development of UTM ASCEND 2030. These materials are provided to ensure continuity, institutional memory, and alignment as PTJs translate strategy into action.

Lonjakan Kebitaraan	Setapak Development
Bakat Global	Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone
Kemampanan & Kelestarian	Medical Engineering Faculty
Kemanusiaan & Kesejahteraan

Action Plan Toolkit

This is the official Action Plan Toolkit developed to assist faculties and centres in translating the strategic direction of UTM ASCEND 2030 into concrete, actionable steps. The toolkit provides a structured Google Sheet template for drafting annual action plans aligned with the Strategic Objectives and Desired States. Click the button below to access the template and begin outlining your unit’s initiatives, KPIs, and responsibilities in support of the university-wide strategy.

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Strategic Plan vs. Action Plan

	Strategic Plan (UTM ASCEND 2030)	Action Plan
Purpose	Sets the long-term direction: Where are we going and why does it matter?	Turns the strategy into day-to-day execution: What must we do—by whom, by when and with what resources—to deliver the strategy?
Scope	University-wide; high-level goals that cut across faculties and offices.	Unit-specific (faculty, centre, project) or theme-specific (e.g. carbon reduction, digitalisation).
Time-horizon	UTM ASCEND 2030 covers 2026-2030.	1–3 years, reviewed annually and adjusted as needed.
Content	▸ Vision, Mission, Core Values ▸ Pillars / Strategic Focus ▸ Strategic Objectives (SO) ▸ Desired States (DS) or KPIs	▸ Actions / initiatives aligned to each SO or DS ▸ Responsible owner (PIC) ▸ Timeline & milestones ▸ Budget / resources ▸ Success indicators & review cycle
Level of detail	Broad, outcome-oriented, inspirational; does not list every project.	Granular, task-oriented, measurable; can include Gantt charts, SOPs, budget lines.
Approval	Endorsed by LPU, JPU, and communicated university-wide.	Approved at PTJ level (Dean/Director) but must reference the SO/DS it supports; reported upward.
Update frequency	Mid-term review; full refresh at next strategic cycle.	Rolling updates; progress reported quarterly/annually.
UTM example	UTM ASCEND 2030 (the only university-level Strategic Plan).	▸ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Action Plan 2026-2028 ▸ UTM Smart Campus Carbon Action Plan ▸ JS-SEZ Collaboration Hub Action Plan