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

Dr. Ainul Asyraf bin Lokman, a native of Alor Star, Kedah, commenced his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Puchong Utama 2 (SKPU2) and Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Putra Perdana (SKTPP), before proceeding to his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Datuk Syed Ahmad (SMKDSA). His tertiary education began with an offer to undertake foundational studies in Islamic Studies at the University of Malaya, Nilam Puri, Kelantan. He subsequently completed a Bachelor's Degree in Usuluddin, with a minor in Islamic History and Civilization, graduating with distinction. In recognition of his academic performance, he was awarded a SLAI scholarship by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to pursue doctoral studies directly. He thereby earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the field of Humanities, specializing in Middle East Studies. Dr. Ainul’s extensive academic research interests encompass Islamicjerusalem Studies, the Arab-Israeli Conflict, the Palestinian Issue, Conflict Resolution, Islamic History, and Islamic Civilization. He currently holds the position of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Islamic History, Civilization & Education at the Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.

Meor Faisal Zulkifli received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Surrey, UK, and his Ph.D. in Engineering from Imperial College London. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, specializing in power generation and machine learning applications. Meor Faisal Zulkifli has significant industry experience, having served as Project Leader and Principal Researcher at TNB Research, where he led multiple projects focused on improving the efficiency of gas turbine and coal-fired power plants using advanced technologies, including AI and machine learning. During his tenure at TNB Research, he successfully led 5 major projects that collectively amounted to more than RM 10 million. His expertise lies in fuels and combustion, clean energy, power plant operations, and AI integration. Meor Faisal Zulkifli is currently working on projects related to hydrogen/ammonia combustion for industrial gas turbines, coal combustion enhancement using chemical additives, and developing intelligent systems for optimizing power plant operations.