Invited Talk @ UTHM @ Nov. 19, 2020

1. favoriot
Maximise Your
Research
Potential With
Relevant
Industry
• Dr. Mazlan Abbas - FAVORIOT
• UTHM Talk
• Nov. 19, 2020

2. favoriot
The UTM (Academia)
Journey

3. favoriot
Lessons Learned
1. No industrial experience in Product
Development
2. Didn’t realize the scale of the Project
3. Too ambitious – Prototype to Real Product
4. Importance of Teamwork – Research Cluster
(Telematics)

4. favoriot
The Celcom
(Telco) Journey

5. favoriot
Building Developers Community

6. favoriot
Lessons Learned
1. Business opportunities – B2C or B2B
2. Technology too early – SMS, MMS, GPRS
3. Talent insufficient to develop in-house
4. Priority - Solving internal problems or creating
new products

7. favoriot
The MIMOS (R&D)
Journey
• 39 Research prototypes
(covering projects such as
IPv6, WSN, WiMAX, IMS,
6LoWPAN, IOT, HetNet,
Cognitive Radio, Mobile
Cloud etc), 130 IP
Disclosures including 27
Patents, which are
considered novel and
inventive.

8. favoriot
Focusing on Research

9. favoriot
Users
Access Point
Relay
HOT SPOT
(50-200m)
HOT ZONE
(500m-1km)
Relay
DR-Mesh
METRO NET
(5-10km)
Mesh
Mesh
Mesh Mesh
Mesh
Mesh
PAN Gateway (0-50m)
HOT ZONE
9
The Wireless Vision

10. favoriot
Mesh Network

11. favoriot
The Beginning of a Real Commercial Product

12. favoriot
WiWi Product Variants
Access Point
Relay
Wireless Hybrid
Point-to-Point
Bridge
IOT
Gateway
Mesh
WiWi Gen 1.8b-1 (AP)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-2 (AP Ent)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-3 (Relay)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-11 (Relay Ent)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-4 (WiMAX)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-10 (HSDPA)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-19 (LTE)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-5
WiWi Gen 1.8b-6
WiWi Gen 1.8b-7 (IOT/ADSL)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-16 (IOT/WiMAX)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-17 (IOT/HSDPA)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-18 (IOT/LTE)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-12 (Gateway/ADSL)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-13 (Gateway/WiMAX)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-14(Gateway/HSDPA)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-15 (Gateway/LTE)
WiWi Gen 1.8b-9 (Mesh Point)
GPS
WiWi Gen 1.8b-8 **
Completed (PRA)
On-Going
Not CCN yet

13. favoriot
Lessons Learned

14. favoriot
Lessons Learned
1. Very costly and long period - Research to Product to
Commercialization
2. Patents on the shelf
3. Two separate teams (Research & Development) under
different Heads
4. Non-agile – Too process oriented
5. The Trap of Osborne Effect
6. Too big to chew
7. “Solution in search of a Problem”?

15. favoriot
How-To Build Producer Nation
University Industry Market
R&D Product (Roadmap) Commercialise
Maintain Loyalty
Output
Share
Industry problems
Sell
Understanding Roles and Responsibilities
• Publications
• Knowledge
• Time-to-market
• Revenue
• Solve their problems
YouTube Video
Prototype
(Alpha)
Prototype
(Beta)
Copyright: Dr. Mazlan Abbas (2020)

16. favoriot
10-Slides Pitch Deck
10. Call to Action
9. Team
8. Competitive
Analysis
2. Problem
Statement
3. Target
Market
4. The Solution –
Your Product
5. Business
Model
6. Current
Traction
7.
Marketing
Strategy
1. Vision
Pitch
Deck

17. favoriot
Crossing the CHASM
Public Sector
Grants
Entrepreneurial and
Seed/Angel
Investors
Venture
Capitalists
Stock Owners
Technology
Creation
Market Focused
Business & Product
Development
Early
Commercialization
Private Sector
CHASM
Cash Flow
“Valley of Death”
Cash
Flow
Or
Sales
Typical
Primary
Investors
Cash Flow
Sales
Time

18. favoriot
Research
Challenges

19. favoriot
Research “Misunderstanding”
• How Long Does It Take?
• What’s the Difference Between Masters and PhD?
• Why Problem Definition Takes A Long Time?
• Why “Research” Approach is Different From “Development”?
• What are the characteristics of a Good Researcher?

20. favoriot
What is BASIC Research?
• Basic research also known as fundamental or pure research is driven by a
scientist’s curiosity or interest in a question. The main motivation of this type of
research is:-
• To expand man’s knowledge of the world and not to invent or create
something new.
• There is no obvious commercial value in research of this type.

21. favoriot
What is
BASIC
Research?
• Basic science research includes
answers to such questions as:
• How did the universe begin?
• How has the brain evolved over
time?
• How does DNA determine who
we are?
• What is the specific genetic code
of an earth worm?
• What are protons, neutrons and
electrons made of?

22. favoriot
What is APPLIED Research?
• Applied research is designed to the practical problems that exist in the
modern world, rather than to just acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake.
• One main goal of applied science is to improve human conditions and
make the world a better place.

23. favoriot
What is
APPLIED
Research?
Applied science may investigate ways
to:
• improve agricultural crop
production
• get better network throughput
• find alternative routing solutions
• treat or cure a specific disease
• improve the energy efficiency of
homes

24. favoriot
What’s the Difference
Between Degree, Masters
and PhD’s Work?
[Source: “The Illustrated Guide to a PhD” by Matt Might]

25. favoriot
Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

26. favoriot
By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

27. favoriot
By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

28. favoriot
With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

29. favoriot
A master's degree deepens that specialty:

30. favoriot
Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

31. favoriot
Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

32. favoriot
You push at the boundary for a few years:

33. favoriot
Until one day, the boundary gives way:

34. favoriot
And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

35. favoriot
Of course, the world looks different to you now:

36. favoriot
So, don't forget the bigger picture:

37. favoriot
Activity Detail Tasks Timeframe
Establish
Context
Literature Review
Problem Definition
Scope of Research
3-6 months
(MSc-PhD)
Select & Design
Methods
Mathematical Modeling
Simulation
Experimental
3-6 months
Undertake
Research
New mathematical theory
New programming language
New simulation tool
Acquisition and trials test-bed
3-6 months
Analysis &
Validation
Testing of Model 6-12 months
Create Output Thesis
Technical report
3-6 months
Review &
Evaluate
Publication
Conference
VIVA
< 3 months
Note: On average = Masters (2 years to complete) and PhD (3-6 years to complete)

38. favoriot
How To Choose a Good
Scientific Problem?
[Excerpts from the Article “How To Choose a Good Scientific Problem” by Uri Alon]

39. favoriot
Choosing good problem is essential for
being a good researcher.
But what is a good problem, and how do
you choose one?

40. favoriot
The Feasibility-Interest Diagram for Choosing a Project

41. favoriot
The Feasibility-Interest Diagram for Choosing a Project

42. favoriot
The mentors’ task is to support students through the cloud that seems to guard
the entry into the unknown. And, with this schema, we have more space to see
that problem C exists and may be more worthwhile than continuing to plod
toward B.
“Sailing into the unknown again and again takes courage”
The Objective and Nurturing Schemas of Research

43. favoriot
IP Landscape Using Thomson Innovation Tool

44. favoriot
Research Approaches
(1) Mathematical Modeling
(2) Simulation
(3) Experimental

45. favoriot
Mathematical Modeling
Fast, easily define upper and lower bound
Complex mathematics, need programming

46. favoriot
Network Model
Traffic Model
Packet Scheduling Model
Algorithm
Performance Results
Simulation
Scalable, Flexible
Assumptions must be
accurate
Time consuming
Either self-programming or
using simulation tool
Expensive (?)

47. favoriot
Experimental
Accurate, real results
Time consuming, expensive, not scalable

48. favoriot
Degree
Masters
PhD
Support test-bed setup
Simple experiment and Data Collection
Some simple application programming
Support experimental work (advanced)
Simulation to proof the concept/ideas
Mathematical modeling
Develop Simulation model
Co-generate and test new ideas
The need for Degree, Masters and PhD In a
research group

49. favoriot
How Do We Manage
Researchers?

50. favoriot
Researchers Expectations
• Breathing space
• Need time to think to be creative.
• Understanding Short and Long Term
• Knowledge always starts anew in every project.
• Impact of “Killing A Project”
• We can kill a Product or Project but be careful in killing a
“Research” since it will “wipe out” knowledge.
• Quest for Knowledge
• Never ending journey to the Frontiers of Knowledge
• Finding new challenges
• Recognition in their area of expertise

51. favoriot
Light At the End of The Tunnel
“Research” Working with the “Unknown”
“Development” Working with “Known”
PhD is not all about the novelty achieved but it’s the Systematic
Process of Doing Research that’s the utmost important.

52. favoriot
Researchers’ Challenges
(But who appreciates people working with the Unknown?)

53. favoriot
Viewing Angle
Application Layer
Physical Layer
Data Link Layer
Presentation Layer
Network Layer
Transport Layer
Session Layer
Valley of Appreciation – the challenge
Management
Researcher
My view…

54. favoriot
How Deep
to
Explore?
“Breadth”
or “Depth”
of
Research

55. favoriot
To Go Deeper … You Need a Platform
The Need for Research Group and Vision

56. favoriot
Explorer’s Risk
Cave Explorer

57. favoriot
Do We Reward the “Cave Explorer”?
Unstoppable Effort
Taking High Risks
Venture into the Unknown

58. favoriot
One More Thing

59. favoriot
Development
(D)
Stage Activities ~ %
S E
R 100 0
AR 80 20
AT 50 50
PD 10 90
M 0 100
Risk
increases
Research
Research to Development Value Chain
Applied
Research
Advanced
Technology
Product
Development
Maintenance

60. favoriot
www.favoriot.com
favoriot
favoriot
favoriot favoriot
info@favoriot.com favoriot