The initiatives could focus on enhancing student pathways among institutions, increasing the percentage of students from low-income and minority populations gaining a tertiary education certification/degree or increasing opportunities for adult/mature students to pursue and complete tertiary education. Within this context, Malaysia is encountering difficulties to translate scientific knowledge into technological capabilities. Although an important player in knowledge diffusion and S&T activities, universities have not yet enlarged the national research potential and reached the quality of R&D performed in the OECD countries. The country has been over-performing in terms of publication intensity, but among ASEAN economies, its scientific publications are less frequently cited and its researcher population less numerous.