KUALA NERUS, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) has become the first university in Malaysia to digitise Malay manuscripts from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Fadzli Adam said this achievement follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with SOAS on May 10 this year. He added that UniSZA researchers are currently working on describing the content of these manuscripts. To date, 20 Malay manuscripts from the SOAS collection have been successfully digitised by UniSZA's Islamic Malay Product and Civilisation Research Institute (INSPIRE). 'We are committed to digitising all Malay manuscripts held by SOAS within the agreed timeframe,' Fadzli said in a statement today. Looking ahead, Fadzli said UniSZA aims to expand its collaboration in the field of Islamic manuscripts and hopes to become a leading Malay Digital Reference Centre in Malaysia. 'The Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) also expects UniSZA to play a significant role as a national resource for Malay digital manuscripts,' he added. Source: BERNAMA News Agency