However, at the moment there appears to be a conflict of the university’s designation as an APEX University and the regional engagement mission. While Universiti Sains Malaysia strives to become a globally competitive research university serving “billions”, there is limited targeted attention to the needs of the population within its region. Realities of differences in socio-economic issues facing Penang and those facing the other three states include the urban-rural divide and the priority of agriculture in other three states. Furthermore, the focus of Northern Corridor Economic Region does not encompass higher education except indirectly through other issues, such as human resource development from the perspective of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, not the Ministry of Higher Education.