PUTRAJAYA: The Higher Education Minister says the MyBrain15 sponsorship programme will return next year.
Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin revealed that the programme will be known as MyBrain 2.0.
During the launch of the programme at the ministry’s office on Thursday (Oct 26), he explained, “This programme aims to increase the number of advanced degree holders to meet the needs of intellectual human capital and local expertise to support national development.”
He further added, “The government has agreed to reintroduce and implement this scholarship programme in 2024.”
However, Mohamed Khaled mentioned that the conditions of the contract and implementation will be stricter, and the system will be upgraded to be more digital and user-friendly.
Additionally, he highlighted that the ministry is targeting 500 applicants per year from the public who are either unemployed or do not have regular incomes, including lecturers from private higher education institutes (IPTS) who wish to pursue Master’s and PhDs.
Furthermore, the ministry has allocated RM20mil for each intake, starting from January.
The MyBrain15 programme was initially introduced in 2011 as part of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan, with the goal of producing 100,000 researchers and PhD holders within 15 years. It was first launched by Mohamed Khaled himself.
However, the programme was suspended by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018, when 56,910 students were already pursuing postgraduate studies through the programme.
In 2020, the Higher Education Ministry conducted a MyBrain impact study and found that the programme had a positive effect on graduates’ marketability and career advancement.
