UPM Bintulu campus rebranded as UPMS
The renaming was formalised during a proclamation ceremony at Istana Alam Shah here on Monday, which was officiated by UPM Chancellor and Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. The event also marked UPM's 50-year presence in Sarawak.
Present were Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, UPM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah and UPMS director Professor Dr Shahrul Razid Sarbini.
In a statement, UPM said the name change reflected the university's strategic vision to solidify its leadership in agriculture, food security, sustainable development and community empowerment in Borneo.
UPMS, which has its roots in the Natural Resources Training Centre established in Semenggok, Kuching in 1974, has become the oldest public university operating in Sarawak.
It moved to its permanent campus in Bintulu in 1987 and now offers nine diploma programmes, five bachelor degrees and 51 postgraduate research fields.
Among its most notable initiatives is the AgriHub@Gedong project, in partnership with the Sarawak government.
The initiative aims to transform padi cultivation in Lubok Punggor, Gedong and positioning Sarawak as a high-impact rice production hub.
The university is also home to several strategic academic chairs, including the PUSAKA Chair, which focuses on tropical forest management and renewable energy, and the Tok Nan Chair — named after the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem — which promotes research in Sarawak's ethnic diversity and anthropological studies.
To strengthen regional collaboration, UPMS leads the Konsortium Universiti Universitas Borneo (KUUB), a cross-border initiative involving 16 institutions across Borneo. The platform enables cooperation in research, teaching and academic mobility.
UPM said the rebranding aligned with its Strategic Plan 2021-2025, particularly in boosting access to quality education in East Malaysia and reinforcing national food security priorities.
In support of these goals, UPMS is also planning the establishment of a School of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Kuching.
The school is expected to be the first of its kind to be developed through a collaboration between a public university and a state government.
It aims to produce local veterinary professionals and enhance livestock sustainability in Sarawak.
UPM said the Higher Education Ministry played a key role in enabling the campus' elevation, and that continued federal-state cooperation would be essential in advancing education equity across Malaysia, especially in Borneo.
As one of the country's premier research universities, UPM is currently ranked 134th in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and is recognised as one of Malaysia's top institutions with over 28,000 students enrolled across its campuses.
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