THE NEXT HORIZON: INSPIRE 2026 AND THE FUTURE OF EXPERIENTIAL RESEARCH EDUCATION

USM PENANG, 27 March 2026 - The INSPIRE inbound mobility programme, first launched in 2024 as an outbound initiative by the School of Distance Education (PPPJJ) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in collaboration with STIE Mahardhika, Surabaya, was a turning point.

Looking ahead to INSPIRE 2026, the aim is not just to announce another round of the programme, but to reflect on how lessons from the first edition reshaped our view of international, research-focused education, and to highlight the bold direction we are now taking.

If INSPIRE 2025 was about showing that the idea worked, INSPIRE 2026 is about expanding it further.

The second edition in 2025 brought 19 participants from Indonesia to USM for a four-day intensive programme. It pushed them beyond the usual classroom-based approach to research methodology.

The outcomes were impressive.

But the real impact of that group was not only the 18 joint academic papers they produced or the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) they signed. More importantly, they created a new way of thinking-a framework that will now guide a bigger and more ambitious vision.

The teaching philosophy behind INSPIRE is built on one strong idea: research methodology cannot be taught separately from the environments they study.

The 2025 programme showed this clearly.

Instead of just sitting in lecture halls comparing qualitative and quantitative designs, participants joined community activities and visited local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). There, they had to test their research ideas against the real-world social and economic challenges they encountered.

From this experience, the students went through a deep change in how they thought about research.

According to a senior lecturer at PPPJJ and one of the main designers of the programme, Dr. Rafisah Mat Radzi, the transformation in students was obvious.

"Before joining, participants often saw research in management as rigid and purely academic," she explained.

She added: "They focused more on learning concepts than connecting them to real situations. After INSPIRE 2025, they became more critical and reflective in identifying issues. They shifted from a traditional approach without technology to an innovative one that uses AI, not as a shortcut, but as an ethical and supportive partner in research."

Another important aspect of the programme was its early use of technology.

At a time when many higher education institutions are still figuring out how to integrate AI responsibly into academic practice, INSPIRE 2025 provided a practical example.

Students were trained to use AI for generating ideas, summarising literature, and organising frameworks, but with clear limits.

Rafisah stressed the importance of balance: "AI is a helpful support tool in research, but it cannot replace critical thinking. Students were trained to evaluate the validity/accuracy of AI-generated information, filter relevant content, and make sure findings matched the real context of their study. The real skill is not just using AI, but using it critically."

She added, "The experiential part of the programme, in particular community engagement and visits to local small and medium enterprises, showed students something no classroom could: the need to adapt."

For the Indonesian participants, Malaysia felt both familiar and different at the same time.

This in-between space became the most powerful teaching tool. Rafisah remembers the challenges students faced, and how those challenges turned into opportunities for growth.

"The biggest challenge was adapting to Malaysia, especially when engaging with the local community and industry. Even though Malaysia and Indonesia share cultural similarities, students had to learn the differences in social context, economic conditions, and business practices. This required communication skills, adaptability, and sensitivity," she said.

She continued: "They also had to connect the theories they had studied with real situations in another country. They needed to think more critically, identify relevant problems within the local community, and adjust their research methods to fit Malaysia's context."

This is where the true value of adaptation became clear.

The programme did not just show students differences; it made them actively connect what they already knew with new, sometimes conflicting, realities.

Through this process, they developed what can be called adaptive expertise, the ability to use knowledge flexibly across contexts, to know when a familiar framework needs adjustment, and to build new understanding by combining theory with experience.

Rafisah summed it up: "These challenges added real value to their learning. They trained students to be more flexible, think critically, and make decisions in real situations; the skills that are hard to gain through traditional learning alone."

With these lessons now in place, INSPIRE 2026 is being planned as a major step forward.

The programme will grow in several important ways, each aimed at strengthening experiential learning and expanding its impact.

First, the programme's reach is expected to widen.

While the partnership with STIE Mahardhika remains central, early talks are underway to invite more universities and institutions from across Southeast Asia.

The aim is to turn INSPIRE from a two-way exchange into a regional platform, where perspectives from different ASEAN countries can meet, interact, and enrich each other.

Second, the programme's themes are being updated to match new priorities in management research.

Building on the 2025 focus on SMEs and community-based studies, INSPIRE 2026 will add tracks on digital transformation in business, sustainable entrepreneurship, and the evolving role of technology in organisational decision-making.

These themes are chosen because they reflect real challenges faced by businesses and communities in the region, ensuring the research stays relevant.

Third, and most importantly, the programme plans to add a long-term research element.

While the 2025 group produced joint academic papers after the programme, the 2026 edition will formalise this by creating a mentorship system that continues beyond the programme itself.

Instead of only producing papers after the programme, INSPIRE 2026 will include a mentorship system that continues for a year, turning a four-day intensive into a year-long collaborative journey.

At its core, INSPIRE has always aimed to build adaptability, critical thinking, and awareness of context.

These qualities are shaped through moments of challenge and discomfort.

Adaptation is central to the programme's philosophy.

In a fast-changing world-technological, economic, and social-the ability to adapt is essential. INSPIRE trains researchers to adjust their methodologies to new contexts, questions, and challenges.

Rafisah explained: "INSPIRE 2025 can serve as a model for future programmes. But it is not rigid. It can be adapted to the needs of the programme, the field of study, and the institutions involved. This flexibility makes INSPIRE a framework that can be improved and applied in many ways."

Preparations for INSPIRE 2026 are moving quickly, and excitement is building within PPPJJ and partner institutions.

A call for applications will be released soon, with the programme scheduled for later this year.

For participants, the message is clear: this will not be a passive academic exercise. It will be an intensive, hands-on experience that challenges assumptions, builds networks, and develops the flexibility needed for complex research.

For USM, INSPIRE is more than a programme; it is a strategic commitment to reimagining what international education can be.

At a time when cross-border academic exchange is often reduced to numbers and agreements, INSPIRE offers a different story: one of cognitive transformation, sustained collaboration, and the blending of theory with practice.

Rafisah reflected: "Programmes like INSPIRE strengthen USM's position through international collaboration, joint research, and student mobility. They show USM's ability to provide innovative, relevant education with global impact. By combining experiential learning, AI, and community and industry-based engagement, USM proves it can deliver education that is innovative and aligned with current needs."

INSPIRE 2025 was the beginning. It showed what is possible when experiential learning, ethical use of technology, and cross-cultural collaboration come together.

INSPIRE 2026 is ready to build on that foundation; to expand, refine, and deepen.

For participants, the journey will be transformative.

For the institutions that support them, it is an investment in an educational model rooted in today's realities and aimed at the future.

Text: Privinkumar Jayavanan/Editing: Tan Ewe Hoe/Photo: Jiang Jiaying, Intern@MPRC