Collaborations combine global technology expertise with local industry experience, enabling WOU to deliver practical upskilling, facilitate knowledge exchange, and advance collaborative research and development (R&D) for Malaysia’s technology professionals, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and corporations.
Wawasan Open University (WOU) has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Shanghai Real-Thread Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (RT-Thread) and Lingkail Sdn Bhd (Lingkail) to strengthen the regional talent pipeline across Edge AI, embedded systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Industry 4.0 technologies.
The strategic partnerships draw on RT-Thread’s open-source embedded systems ecosystem and Lingkail’s on-the-ground experience in industrial digitalisation and smart manufacturing to translate emerging technologies into practical workforce capabilities and industry applications.
Under the agreement with RT-Thread, both parties will explore opportunities in knowledge exchange, professional training, certification programmes, customised corporate training, industry workshops, and collaborative research in embedded systems and IoT technologies.
Headquartered in Shanghai, China, RT-Thread is the primary developer, maintainer, and operator of the open-source RT-Thread Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), which supports applications across smart devices, industrial automation, automotive electronics, and edge computing.
Concurrently, the collaboration with Penang-based Lingkail aims to help organisations build internal capabilities for smart manufacturing, connected factories, and digital transformation.
Lingkail’s on-the-ground technical implementation experience ensures upskilling programmes address the practical capability gaps faced by local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporations in Industrial IoT (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), embedded systems, cloud integration, and industrial digitalisation.
Both collaborations will be implemented through WOU Academy, the University’s corporate training arm.
The agreements were signed by WOU Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ts. Dr. Yap Eng Hwa, RT-Thread Head of University Partnership Mr. Luo Qixi, and Lingkail Director Dr. Leow Cheah Wei.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prof. Yap said the collaborations would connect technology expertise with practical workforce development.
“These collaborations allow WOU to bridge global technology insight with local industry application, particularly for organisations that recognise the need to digitalise but may still face gaps in technical expertise, workforce readiness, or access to suitable training.
“By combining our partners’ technical and industrial experience with WOU’s academic quality, learning design, and flexible delivery, we can develop targeted programmes that respond to specific operational needs and support organisations in building the capabilities required for Industry 4.0 adoption,” he said.
During the event, RT-Thread International Operation Manager, Song Yingying presented an overview of the company’s embedded technology ecosystem. She highlighted its three open-source RTOS product lines, support for mainstream chip architectures, extensive software and hardware resources, and collaborations with universities on curriculum development, joint laboratories, faculty training, certification, and technical competitions.
This was followed by a virtual presentation by Kun Qian of Infineon China, who introduced Infineon’s PSoC Edge MCU platform and its potential applications in intelligent embedded systems.
The partnerships kicked off with the first complimentary IoT Edge Intelligence Masterclass, jointly organised by WOU, RT-Thread, and Lingkail. Through five progressive laboratory sessions using the RT-Thread Studio development environment, participants gained practical experience in RTOS fundamentals, peripheral and driver development, graphical user interface development using LVGL, and the deployment of AI models on the Edge E84 platform.
The event marked the beginning of a WOU-led effort to translate global technology expertise and local implementation experience into practical workforce capabilities, industry applications, and collaborative research opportunities.