UCSI Group, parent of UCSI University, is expanding its hospitality arm in a bid to grow the business and improve earnings.
It plans to set up six three-star and five-star hotels, said Dr Hon Wei Min, UCSI University dean of faculty of applied sciences.
UCSI will build two hotels each in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, and one each in Terengganu and Negri Sembilan, she said.
The investments for the hotel set up falls under the group’s RM1.13 billion expansion plan up to 2016. The overall plan includes building a campus, hospital, hotel and international school on its 64ha integrated health education township in Bandar Springhill, Negri Sembilan.
Hon said UCSI is also venturing into green technology and has embarked on several research projects such as acquaculture, waste transformation and environmental contamination.
It is setting up an acquaculture park costing more than RM1 million at the Bandar Springhill township.
“The plan is to rear seawater fishes and use the waste water to grow seaweeds. There will be zero wastage as we will be using the acquaculture system, a self-designed prototype,” she said.
For waste transformation, Hon said the group is looking at extracting bio-active compounds from fruit peels and seeds to produce wealth.
It is also undertaking research to measure the heavy metal contents in fresh fishes and see if they are safe for consumption.
“We have the funds to see all these projects bear fruit,” Hon told Business Times yesterday in Kuala Lumpur at the sidelines of the Green Business Forum, open by Deputy secretary-general Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Nor’Aini Abdul Wahab.
Hon said UCSI is also seeking collaborations with industry players for research projects. It is partnering Boh Plantations Sdn Bhd to extract the best value from tea leaves of lower grade.
