ZAMBRY: FOI 2025 PLATFORM FOR THOUGHTS, INNOVATIONS BASED ON MALAYSIA MADANI SPIRIT

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- The Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (Putrajaya FOI) 2025, which opens tomorrow, will be a platform to gather the thoughts and innovations of Malaysians towards shaping the country's future based on the spirit of Malaysia MADANI.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the festival, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) for the second time, is not just an academic event, but a national movement to make the culture of thinking and sharing ideas an identity for Malaysians.

“The aim of holding the Festival of Ideas is to gather the ideas of Malaysians, whether from scholars, researchers or ordinary citizens.

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“We want to make the culture of thinking and sharing of ideas a societal practice, regardless of background," he told the media after conducting a final survey on the preparations at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) today.

Zambry said the festival also reflects Malaysia's desire to become a regional reference centre for the exchange of ideas and innovations across various fields, including social sciences, technology, arts, culture and music.

He said the KPT wants to elevate Malaysia as the City of Ideas, a platform for the public to come and exchange views, share expertise and celebrate creativity.

"Many developed countries have their own Festival of Ideas, and now Malaysia will also stand in line," he said.

He said the Putrajaya FOI 2025, which will take place from tomorrow (Nov 4) to Nov 8, is expected to attract nearly 500,000 physical visitors and a total of two million participants, including virtual attendees (1.5 million) from around the world.

The official launch ceremony of the festival will be graced by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia on Nov 6, while the closing ceremony will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"The opening keynote address will be delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, followed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof on the second day," he said.

Zambry said this year's festival will also be attended by the Indonesian Minister of Higher Education and the Philippine Secretary of Higher Education, in addition to representatives from ASEAN, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), South-South and Africa, making this year's event international in scale.

Among the main programmes scheduled are the Malaysia Ideas Summit, My Idea Connects, Global Higher Education Summit & Showcase, Advanced TVET and Entrepreneurship, FOI Run Challenge and Sounds of Malaysia.

Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to see the special exhibition '1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacies of Muslim Civilisation', which highlights the contributions of the Islamic world and other civilisations to the development of global science and technology.

The festival also offers over 2,000 premium paid job opportunities through the Career Carnival and Internship Market Week, which takes place throughout the four-day event.

"This year's festival theme, 'Shaping the Future and Realising Ideas,' reflects our goal of building the future by implementing ideas today," he said.

Zambry also said that before the event in Putrajaya, the KPT had organised a series of state-level IDEA Festivals in 13 states, with good support from the state governments and participation from the local community.

“This time we're not just stopping in Putrajaya. This festival has travelled across the country, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. This proves that Malaysians are ready to become a thinking and innovative society," he added.

— BERNAMA