The Penang State Government has a reputation for its proactivity and entrepreneurial strength, effective administration, innovative policy-making, strategic liaison and communications with international investors, and development planning. One of its most successful agencies is the semi-autonomous Penang Development Corporation (PDC) established in 1971 as the government’s implementation arm, charged with overseeing economic growth and spearheading industrialisation. In the 1970s and 1980s, PDC monthly meetings included USM-related activities as a regular item on its agenda, giving its research activities a high profile. After significant restructuring in 2004, the Penang State government downsized PDC, creating InvestPenang which is the chief agency currently facilitating investment and fostering industrial development for the state.