VGR Chandran is Professor of Industrial Development at the Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics at University of Malaya. He has also worked as Principal Analyst of Economic and Policy Studies with Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and his research interests are mainly on innovation, technology development, trade and globalization that relate to industrial development. His field research covers sectors such as electrical and electronics, automotive, food, chemical, oil palm, machinery, iron and steel, ICT, and the newly emerging sector - renewable energy. He had extensive fieldwork covering the Asian region that includes countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. In recent years, his research interest expanded into investigating newly emerging enterprises within the context of social innovation and social enterprises, as well as open innovation. His interest has also expanded in studying the issues of NTMs, mainly regulatory and procedural requirements that serve as a barrier for firms to integrate into the Global Value Chain. He has also worked as a consultant for international organizations such as UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNESCO, UNEP, ERIA, OECD as well as governmental organizations in Malaysia. He has published articles in international journals - Economics of New Technology and Innovation, Policy Modelling, as well as book chapters and books on industrial development and innovation. He is the recipient of various national and international grants – to name a few - European Union Horizon 2020 and IDR, Canada, among others. His work is widely quoted in government policy documents contributing to numerous policy changes. He has contributed to the Malaysian regulatory reform efforts, STI and Industrial policy development at national as well as state level. His work via Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Economic Planning Unit, Academic of Sciences, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, MIGHT, Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysian Productivity Corporation and Institute Darul Ridzuan (state level) was instrumental in making the policy changes. His engagement with the industry are mainly in the form of undertaking studies and providing expert opinions. He has received various awards, e.g., excellence in teaching award and outstanding paper award from Emerald and Elsevier. Details of his current projects as follows: (1) Catching-up along the GVC: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/214786/factsheet/en (2) Regional Economic Corridors: http://www.crisea.eu/researchers/chandran-vgr

Harry Linang earned his PhD in Computational Seismology from the University of Cambridge in 2023. His doctoral research focused on unraveling the crustal seismic structure of Borneo and Sulawesi, providing new insights into their tectonic evolution. With expertise spanning both Seismology and Geology, he aims to bridge the gap between these disciplines to advance our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes. His work, particularly in Southeast Asia, reflects a strong commitment to expanding scientific knowledge of regional tectonics and seismic activity.Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrytlinang/

  Dr Sr Yasmin Mohd Adnan has been with the Department of Real Estate, Faculty of Built Environment since 2001 until her retirement as a Professor in 2024. Currently, she is taking on the role of Honorary Professor in the same department. During her term at the university, she was the Head of the Department of Estate Management from 2004 to 2007, from 2015 to 2018, and was the Deputy Dean (Undergraduate Studies) from 2019 to 2021. Before joining the University of Malaya, she worked in a property consultancy firm, a bank, the property subsidiary of PETRONAS, the national oil company and KLCC Urusharta. Her career spans over 30 years in the areas of valuation, property and facilities management within the real estate practice and academic sectors. A valuer and property manager by training and professionally registered with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agent and Property Managers, Malaysia, Dr Yasmin has been involved in several major research projects in real estate focusing on commercial real estate studies, real estate sustainability (management & development) as well as real estate economics and has published in several local and international journals. She is also currently a fellow and member of several professional organisations which include the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (UK) and Malaysia Institute of Property and Facility Managers, Malaysia and has held various positions in RISM including as a council member, examination board member, editorial board member, education and accreditation board as well as past Secretary of the Property Surveyors Division. In addition, she was a board member of the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society from 2011 to 2017. She was the chief editor of the International Journal of Property Sciences, a journal of the Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya. She has also chaired international conferences, including the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society conferences held twice (jointly with the Royal Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia - partnering universities committee) in Kuala Lumpur.