"Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) marked an important milestone in its academic–industry journey with the signing ceremony between Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) on Friday, 13 February 2026, at 12.00 pm in the Senate Hall, UTP.
The ceremony was graced by the President of UTP, Ir. Mohamed Firouz Asnan, who emphasised that the partnership goes beyond formality—it reaffirms a long-standing relationship rooted in the shared origins and purpose of the PETRONAS ecosystem. Both UTP and INSTEP were established with a common aspiration: to build national capability through education, science, and technology, while supporting the long-term talent needs of the energy sector.
While UTP was envisioned to cultivate thinkers, innovators, and research-driven leaders, INSTEP was created to translate knowledge into practice through applied, competency-based, and industry-facing training. Different roles, but a shared mission. This complementary strength forms the foundation of a collaboration that is increasingly critical in today’s fast-evolving and complex energy landscape.
During the ceremony, three key agreements were formalised—each addressing a distinct yet interconnected dimension of talent and capability development.
The first agreement, anchored through UTP’s Centre for Advanced and Professional Education (CAPE), reinforces UTP’s role in lifelong learning and national capability building. Through this collaboration, UTP contributes structured knowledge curation, subject matter expertise, and quality assurance, while INSTEP focuses on high-impact industry delivery—creating a sustainable pipeline of continuously upskilled professionals rather than episodic training initiatives.
The second agreement centres on Industrial Energy Systems and Risk Management, aligned with UTP’s Bachelor of Integrated Engineering programme. This collaboration reflects a deliberate shift towards future-ready education, where learning is contextualised within real industrial environments. By strengthening safety, risk awareness, and systems-level thinking, the partnership supports the development of graduates capable of integrating mechanical, electrical, chemical, digital, and human systems—capabilities increasingly demanded by complex industries.
The third agreement focuses on sustainability through the Southeast Asia Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Centre (METEC). Under the ASEAN Energy Sector Methane Leadership Programme 2.0, PETRONAS—together with Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC)—will establish the region’s first centre dedicated to methane emissions measurement, monitoring, reporting, verification, and targeted research. Through this collaboration, UTP contributes research and technical expertise to support evidence-based emission reduction and responsible energy development across Southeast Asia.
Collectively, these agreements represent an integrated approach to education, training, and capability development—aligned with PETRONAS’ long-term aspirations and the nation’s sustainability agenda. More importantly, they signal a shared commitment to investing in people—not only as professionals, but as contributors to society and the future of the energy industry.
As highlighted during the ceremony, what was signed is not an end state, but a platform—one that enables UTP and INSTEP to co-create future-ready capabilities with greater speed, relevance, and impact than either could achieve alone."
