Kuala Lampur, Dec. 2 -- Malaysia invests billions into research and development (R&D), fuelled by the noble ambition of becoming a high-income economy. The tangible returns on this massive national investment remain frustratingly elusive. The gleaming laboratories and dedicated researchers produce a torrent of academic papers, but where are the groundbreaking products, the globally competitive startups, the solutions to pressing national challenges? The diagnosis, while uncomfortable, is increasingly clear: our R&D ecosystem, particularly within our universities, is ensnared in a publication-centric culture that stifles true innovation and commercialisation. This must change, urgently.

The problem isn't the pursuit of knowledge itself. R...