Researchers, academics, industry professionals and students came together virtually for NexSymp Summit 2026, a two-day event exploring how artificial intelligence and innovation can contribute to a sustainable future, recently. Organised by MMU Press, the second edition built on the inaugural summit in 2025, bringing together diverse research disciplines under the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Innovation for a Sustainable Future.”
The summit commenced with welcoming remarks by Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer of TM R&D, who highlighted the importance of research in addressing real needs and creating meaningful impact, as well as the value of academia-industry collaboration. This was followed by an officiating address by MMU President, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mazliham Mohd Su’ud, who highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in transforming the digital and physical worlds, while emphasising that innovation must be guided by responsibility, inclusivity and sustainability for the benefit of society.
NexSymp Summit 2026 brought together six co-located symposia: the 1st International Symposium on Creative Multimedia, Research and Practice in the AI Era (AI-CREM 2026), the 1st International Symposium on Business, Social Sciences, and Communication (BIZSCOM 2026), the 1st International Symposium on Interdisciplinary AI and Innovation (INNOV-AI 2026), the 3rd International Symposium on Information Technology and Web Engineering (SITWE 2026), the 1st Symposium on Navigating Artificial Intelligence and Law (SNAIL 2026), and the 1st International Symposium on Sciences, Technical Research, and Robotics (STERO 2026). The summit received 548 paper submissions, reflecting interest in interdisciplinary research and scholarly engagement.
On the first day, participants gained insights from keynote addresses by Datuk Ts. Dr. Hj. Mohd Rasdi bin Hj. Zaini from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Melaka, Prof. Guido Governatori from Central Queensland University, Australia, and Ts. Ahmad Kamal Hasan Basri from Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM). Their perspectives contributed to discussions spanning different research disciplines and industry applications.
On the second day, participants had the opportunity to hear keynote addresses by Prof. Dr. R. Venkatachalam from KSR College of Engineering, Chennai, India, and Prof. Dr. Evan Lau Poh Hock from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, bringing the summit’s keynote sessions to a close with valuable insights and perspectives on innovation and sustainability.
Supported by local and international collaborators, NexSymp Summit 2026 continued the platform established in 2025 for researchers to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for collaboration across disciplines. The summit also provided a space to connect research and innovation with industry needs and broader societal challenges.
