September 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of the WTUN newsletter: featuring a roundup of news, updates and events happening across the network.
For some, September saw the start of the new academic year. For 2026-27 collaboration, innovation and global engagement continue to be at the heart of the World Technology Universities Network. This month’s newsletter showcases how WTUN members are working together across borders to address real-world challenges, advance impactful research, and create opportunities for students, academics and professional staff alike.
In this edition, we reflect on WTUN’s successful participation at EAIE 2026 in Glasgow, where we connected with members, partners and prospective collaborators from around the world. We also feature the latest contribution to the WTUN Research Blog, where Dr Mohd Adib bin Sarijari from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia explores how digital technologies, IoT and artificial intelligence are transforming security operations through the development of GuardExpert Pro, helping build safer and more resilient communities.
You’ll also discover inspiring examples of international partnership in action, including an academic exchange between Atlantic Technological University and Majan University College, opportunities for postgraduate researchers to engage with the University of Bradford PGR Conference 2026, and highlights from SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services, demonstrating the impact of applied research and industry collaboration.
We are proud to celebrate the achievements, expertise and innovation taking place across our member institutions and to showcase opportunities for future collaboration throughout the WTUN community.
As you read through this edition, we encourage you to explore the collaboration opportunities, connect with fellow members at upcoming events, and consider how your institution can contribute to the growing impact of the WTUN community. Whether through research partnerships, staff and student mobility, knowledge exchange, or sharing your own success stories, your engagement helps strengthen our global network.
If you would like to share news, events, research highlights or success stories in a future edition, please contact the WTUN Secretariat at wtun@bradford.ac.uk.
WTUC at EAIE 2026
Thank you to everyone who visited the WTUN stand at EAIE 2026. It was a pleasure to connect with so many colleagues, partners, and prospective members who share the vision of the World Technology Universities Network and are equally enthusiastic about the opportunities that international collaboration can create.
EAIE once again provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen existing relationships, build new connections, and exchange ideas with institutions committed to addressing global challenges through education, research, and innovation.
It was particularly rewarding to catch up with colleagues from across our member universities and discuss future opportunities for partnership and engagement throughout the network.
Fortunately, there is not long to wait until we come together again at WTUC 2026, kindly hosted by University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. We look forward to seeing many of you there in November!
From Paper Trails to Smarter Streets: Securing Communities Through Digital Patrolling
Introducing Dr Mohd Adib bin Sarijari, Senior Lecturer,Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Department / Research Area: Membrane Technology
Email Contact: madib@utm.my
Back in 2017, the Security Division at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) approached our research group, TeSS, with a glaring challenge. They were struggling to manage physical security patrols effectively. Guard accountability, transparency, and incident reporting were still heavily reliant on manual paperwork and old-school logging. Around the same time, several of our industry partners echoed the exact same concerns. It became clear that this wasn’t just a local issue—it was a systemic vulnerability across the entire security landscape.
Driven by the desire to make communities genuinely safer, we asked ourselves how we could use technology to completely bridge this gap. This spark gave life to GuardExpert Pro, a smart security patrolling platform born directly from real-world problems and refined through academic innovation.
Translating a lab prototype into a physical, rugged tool used in the field is a massive journey. In the early days, our research focused on harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Data Analytics to optimize tracking. But a piece of tech is only as good as its real-world execution.
This is where UTM’s campus as a “Living Lab” became our greatest asset. Our university’s security teams deployed GuardExpert Pro in its infancy, providing immediate operational feedback. We walked alongside guards to understand their environment. We learned that connection drops in basement parkings or high-rise structures are inevitable. This led us to develop an intelligent offline mode, allowing guards to log checkpoints seamlessly without internet access, syncing securely the moment they reconnect. Through UTM’s spin-off company, Significs Technologies Sdn. Bhd., we bridged academia and industry, turning deep research into a commercially viable, practical platform.
Global Relevance & WTUN Context
Security and community resilience are inherently global concerns. Our project directly aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
As modern urban centers grow rapidly, maintaining citizen safety and safeguarding critical infrastructure demands a shift from passive monitoring to active, reliable coordination. The real-world impact of our research is validated by its massive deployment across diverse sectors. Beyond heavy industries like UMW Corporation, Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE), and Tanjung Langsat Port (TLP), GuardExpert Pro has been trusted to secure public infrastructure. This includes higher education ecosystems like UTM, municipal town councils such as Majlis Bandaraya Kuantan, critical highway networks like the Besraya Highway, and high-stakes healthcare facilities like local hospitals. The necessity for robust, secure, and intuitive workforce tracking truly transcends geographical and sectoral borders.
Collaboration Opportunities including how to work with Dr Mohd. Adib bin Sarijari:
Great innovations thrive on diverse perspectives. Our system relies heavily on continuous multi-tenant dashboarding, facial recognition authentication, and data resilience. We deeply interested in connecting with fellow WTUN researchers, particularly those specializing in:
● Advanced sensor technologies and Edge AI
● Agentic AI, and Intelligence System for security and surveillances
● Cross-cultural studies on security and surveillance technologies adoption within industrial workforces
If your institution is exploring human-in-the-loop systems or localized public safety frameworks, we would welcome the opportunity to exchange knowledge or co-develop international pilot projects.
Impact & Looking Ahead
Today, GuardExpert Pro is actively protecting lives, public assets, and property across corporate giants, ports, town councils, hospitals, and academic campuses. Looking forward over the next five years, the security sector will pivot from systems that merely record events to systems that intelligently comprehend situations.
By merging IoT with emerging Agentic AI, our goal is to build an ecosystem where systems autonomously recommend emergency responses, keeping human decision-makers efficiently in the loop. We are excited to step into this future, turning shared research into safer spaces for everyone.
“We are eager to connect and collaborate with researchers and public-safety specialists across the WTUN network who are passionate about scaling IoT and smart city security solutions globally.”
About
Dr. Mohd Adib bin Sarijari is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with 15 years of deep expertise in IoT technology & system integration, Artificial Intelligence, and telecommunication software. He focuses heavily on transforming industrial and civic challenges into smart digital applications. As a pioneer behind GuardExpert Pro—now trusted across major commercial enterprises ( such as UMW, MMHE, TLP) as well as public sectors, hospitals, and municipal town councils like Majlis Bandaraya Kuantan—his work bridges academic research and market-ready systems to build safer smart cities.
Keywords:Technology & Innovation | Internet of Things | Digital Applications
Call for content!
If you are interested in contributing to future editions of this blog, please contact wtun@bradford.ac.uk and a submission template will be shared with you.
Atlantic Technological University
ATU hosts Majan University College academic through WTUN Exchange Programme
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has welcomed Dr Senthil Ramadoss of Majan University College, Oman, for a five-day academic exchange supported by the World Technology Universities Network (WTUN).
Dr Ramadoss, Assistant Professor and Faculty Research Chair in Information Technology at Majan University College, visited ATU from 14 to 18 September 2026, with activities across the Letterkenny and Sligo campuses and a visit to World Skills Ireland in Dublin.
The exchange focused on sharing expertise in automation, Industry 4.0, sensors, IoT, data-driven technologies and applied research, alongside innovative approaches to teaching and laboratory-based learning. It also provided opportunities to identify areas for future joint research, academic exchanges, guest lectures and virtual seminars.
During his visit, Dr Ramadoss engaged with academic staff, researchers, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers at ATU. The programme included visits to the WiSAR Technology Gateway in Letterkenny and the Contract Research Centre in Sligo, as well as teaching, laboratory and research discussions across engineering, computing and emerging technologies.
The Exchange programme was managed locally by Dr Kevin Meehan, with the collaboration of Dr Emmet Kerr and Dr Jade Lyons of ATU Donegal, and Dr Amit Goswami at ATU Sligo.
The exchange is intended to strengthen links between ATU and Majan University College and create opportunities for longer-term collaboration in education, research and innovation. Experience gained through the visit will also support the further development of industry-relevant teaching and research at Majan University College.
The visit was brokered through the WTUN relationship between the two institutions. WTUN acknowledges the important contribution of Dr Susan Trevor-Roper, Associate Dean for Planning and Risk Management at Majan University College, and Dr Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin, Strategic Projects Manager at ATU, the respective WTUN Operational Board members, in developing the institutional connection and facilitating the exchange.
The initiative demonstrates how the WTUN network can translate international university partnerships into practical opportunities for academic mobility, knowledge exchange and sustained research and educational collaboration.
ATU launches new Research Commentary Series
“Research has a story to tell, but reaching audiences beyond academia often requires us to think differently about how that story is presented.”
The inaugural ATU Research Commentary Series provides researchers with an opportunity to communicate their research for audiences beyond academia, while also highlighting the breadth of research taking place across ATU.
Developed through RISE@ATU, the series explores research responding to local, regional and international priorities, with topics ranging from coastal sustainability, rural development, healthcare, and community wellbeing.
Read the story: www.atu.ie/news/why-research-matters-atu-launches-new-research-commentary-series
RISE@ATU is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern & Western Regional Programme 2021-2027
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS): 2026 ARIS Impact Report
Alberta’s polytechnics, along with industry, funders, innovators and community members, came together at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) on Sept. 17 for the 2026 Alberta Corridor Technical Symposium! Hosted in collaboration with Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and Red Deer Polytechnic, and support from Alberta Innovates, Prairie Polytechnic Innovation Network Accelerating Commercialization for Local Ecosystems (P2INACLE), Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, and Calgary Innovation Coalition, the symposium showcased the remarkable research of Alberta’s leading polytechnics.
The symposium featured 24 research presentations from researchers and faculty, in collaboration with partners from across Canada, that address emerging industry needs through innovative solutions – from energy, environment, advanced manufacturing, health and digital technologies to other priority sectors. Additionally, over 15 students from five polytechnics brought their research to the event as part of the student research poster competition. Christian Sprinkhuysen, GIS Research Technologist and Drone Pilot at SAIT won the best student poster award for his research, Sludge Mapping Stormwater Ponds with UAVs.
At the event, SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS), launched the 2026 ARIS Impact Report, showcasing a year of innovation and celebrating the impact of applied research and innovation at SAIT. From being among Canada’s top four research colleges to building national and international collaborations to celebrating 20 years of applied research excellence at SAIT, the report explores how these achievements contribute to shaping a better future for Canada and the world. View the impact report here: 2026-digital-impact-report.pdf
Work with SAIT
As the future continues to evolve, so does ARIS. ARIS is committed to expanding the network, strengthening partnerships and fostering new collaborations to continue developing innovative solutions that matter.
Please reach out to the ARIS Interim Director, Jodi David, Jodi.David@sait.ca to learn more about ARIS and/or discuss any partnership opportunities
University of Bradford
The annual postgraduate research (PGR) conference returns to the University of Bradford – Register Now!
The annual postgraduate research (PGR) conference returns to the University of Bradford on 22nd – 23rd October.
The conference will be held at the University of Bradford on 22–23 October 2026 as a hybrid event, offering opportunities to present and attend both in person and virtually.
Postgraduate researchers from all disciplines at both the University of Bradford and other institutions are invited.
This year’s theme is “The Ripple Effect: How Research Shapes People, Places, and Possibilities”.
Research does more than generate knowledge. It influences people, transforms communities and environments, and creates new opportunities for innovation, development, and real-world impact.
Our conference offers postgraduate researchers the opportunity to present their research to a multidisciplinary audience, receive constructive feedback, exchange ideas with researchers and academics, build professional networks and research connections and demonstrate how their work creates meaningful impact.
📅 Conference dates: 22 & 23 October 2026 09.00 – 17.00 (UK Time)
📍 Format: Hybrid – University of Bradford and online
Register: – www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-bradford-pgr-conference-2026-tickets-1996441665765
For enquiries, contact: PostgradResearchConference@bradford.ac.uk
Date: Wednesday 21 October
Time: 18:00 to 19:15
Location: Small Hall, University of Bradford and online
Join us at the next Cantor Technology Lecture titled Space 2050: Opportunity, Sustainability and the Future of Life Beyond Earth with Paul Febvre, Professor of Space Systems Engineering, and Director of the Space Systems Centre at Cranfield University.
In this lecture, Paul will explore what is happening in space: what mega constellations are, how they are built, what services they deliver today and what they might be able to deliver in the future. Through the reduction in launch costs enabled by reusable launch vehicles such as SpaceX and New Glenn, we will have the ability to deliver huge amounts of infrastructure into space. This growth could lead to increased congestion in orbit, making it essential that we take the necessary steps to ensure space operations remain sustainable.
Book now
About the Cantor Technology Lectures
The Cantor Technology Lectures is a platform for distinguished academics and industry leaders to discuss emerging technologies, groundbreaking innovations and the opportunities and challenges they present for the future.
Do you know someone in your university who would be interested in this newsletter? Forward the email to colleagues or share the link with your networks.
All members are invited to contribute to this newsletter through their Operational Board Member (found here). Please contact your Operational Board member with stories or events which will be of relevance to the shared vision and commitments of the WTUN and its members, inspiring opportunity for engagement on commonalities, sharing knowledge, or collaboration.
All calls for content can be shared with the WTUN Secretariat at wtun@bradford.ac.uk.
To discuss joining the World Technology Universities Network, please contact the WTUN Development Manager:
Denise Whitehead
Email: wtun@bradford.ac.uk