Resumen
Public universities have been directed to have more collaborative projects with external entities. One such effort was with a rural community for capacity development towards socio-economic well being. In the case of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Branch (UCS), the success stories on community engagement and capacity development have been shown with Kampung Hujung Rintis, Perak. The main underpinnings for such collaborative efforts were research-based, particularly with upfront data collection using the various scopes at the events. Demographic profiles of the villagers at Kampung Hujung Rintis were provided by the village chief (Penghulu). These were used to analyze socio-economic profiles. In fulfilling UCS's vision of "Research Benefiting People and Industry," the joint programs between UCS and Kampung Hujung Rintis were achieved through two events in September 2018 and April 2019. Both events allowed for the successful capture of data from the live, research laboratory. The presence of researchers from cross-disciplinary in UCS as well as the communities was considered a success. That said, the feedback from the collaborative efforts toward the capacity development of the villagers at Kampung Hujung Rintis was; micro-financing assistance for rural, small businesses plus well being follow-ups including free glasses (spectacles) and dentures for the senior citizens from B40 (bottom 40% of the median income level below MYR3,000). In other words, the B40 category consists of communities with weak economic ability. The implications from the case event showed that continuous community engagements would be beneficial for both parties. Cross-disciplinary partnerships were spanning geographical locations allowed for a range of research topics and relevant, significant inputs for the stakeholders. Challenges to these projects include a commitment from both sides, including financial issues because of the distance from UCS to Kampung Hujung Rintis, Perak