The vision at TNBR is to be the premier R&D organisation for the electricity supply industry globally.

In order to achieve that vision,TNBR focus on providing quality solutions, recommendations and guidelines to technical issues and problems faced by its customers and stakeholders in the supply and delivery of electricity. TNB, being the parent company and main customer, plays a major role in determining the kind of R&D projects that TNBR undertakes. TNB also approves annual R&D funds based on the sales of electricity the preceding year.

In FY08/09, a total of 28 projects were completed. The projects fall within 3 categories — R&D Fund for core R&D projects; Seeding Fund for capacity building and Research Assignments to solve immediate and pressing problems.

TNBR's key challenge lie in the ability to translate these funds into solutions and recommendations that will create value for TNB. As such, R&D outputs are focused towards improving efficiency, availability and reliability of the TNB electricity supply network.

In 2006, TNB Research launched the "Harvest Program" to jump the gap from present adoption levels to the highest attainable levels throughout TNB and beyond, by strengthening partnerships and promoting its R&D results among all relevant stakeholders.

As the result of the "Harvest Program", TNBR's R&D outputs have been translated into value creation10 million for TNB in 2009 alone! In addition, several of TNBR's R&D projects have spawned into niche technical services. These include power plant life assessment,
equipment failure analysis and transformer testing and diagnostics.

Due to remarkable service performance, several of these services have secured long term Service Level Agreements from TNB core divisions,
vendors as well as industries. In supporting its vision, TNBR relies on 5 key mechanisms as follows:-

TNB Research has ambitious plans to enhance the value of electricity research. It has recently developed an electricity technology roadmap which will chart the future direction of electricity research and applications in TNB and Malaysia. Subsequently, the roadmap has been translated into 18 R&D programs and 11 Niche Technical Services for the electricity supply industry. This strategy will enable TNBR to expand its business regionally and position itself as a global player.

With its mission towards continual improvement and customer satisfaction, TNBR has developed a quality management system which has noticeably streamlined its delivery processes. Since 1998, TNBR has been certified to the prestigious ISO 9001 for the management of R&D projects as well as ISO 17025 for the accreditation of laboratory tests.

In addition, TNBR has also developed several tools and platforms to further strengthen its R&D delivery system:-
• Web-based Online Project Tracking System
•Project Progress Review
• TRC Project Methodology Review
• KPI Cascade and Tracking

At TNBR, continual quality improvement has always been part of its culture. TNBR has introduced numerous cross functional activities and
made them compulsory to its staff.

At TNB Research, the development of human capital is of the highest priority. Today, TNBR is among the pioneers in implementing the unique "TNB Specialist Career Path" for its researchers in order to remunerate and retain them along their area of specialisation. Other initiatives to accelerate the development of our human capital include the Performance Management System, Structured Training and Mentoring Program.

In addition, TNBR effectively operates a matrix structure to ensure that R&D project team members can come from various other units to support project requirements.

The foundations of TNBR are deeply rooted in its culture and values. TNBR has adopted TNB's shared values in its very own way:-
• Customer Focus - Fostering a partnership relationship with customers to increase value creation and improve R&D adoption.
• Business Excellence - Being methodical and innovative in R&D work to provide creative solutions for customers.
• Integrity - Ensuring the accuracy of R&D conclusions and integrity of product quality assurance.
• Caring - Providing a unique R&D environment for staff to develop their talents and potentials.

INCREASING THE STOCK OF KNOWLEDGE

With all 5 key mechanisms in place, TNBR perseveres to increase the stock of knowledge for the scientific community as well as towards realising its vision.

TNBR continues to aggressively share knowledge through various platforms including monthly colloquiums, technical forums, workshops as well as national and international technical conferences. In addition, TNBR publishes an annual e-Compendium and bi-monthly Newsletter to describe its R&D results and solutions with pride andanticipation.