The CMA, which was introduced in 1995 and managed by the Securities Industry Development Centre (SIDC) of the Securities Commission (SC), aims to create awareness of and encourage quality research on the Malaysian capital market.

SIDC Head, Teh Ija Mohd Jalil said the SC took a holistic view in facilitating the development of the capital markets, and used a multi-pronged approach to achieve its objectives, with which one of it is through engaging academicians and students in various activities and discussions.

"Through the SIDC, we have been working closely with universities to develop capital market-related syllabi and actively seek their feedback from time to time to enhance and develop our training courses and modules," she added.

"The CMA is another platform for us to encourage new research and generate interest on Malaysian capital market issues, which we hope can be translated into practical policy ideas," she said.

"This will, in the long-run, further promote the development of a sound and sophisticated capital market."

The CMA award is divided to two categories; one for postgraduates (Master or PhD.) and the other for faculty members of local and foreign institutions of higher learning, of which each institution is only allowed one entry per category. The winner for each category will receive a cash prize of RM15,000 and a trophy.

Research papers may cover various aspects of the capital market, such as law, finance, accounting, economics and management. More robust discourse of contemporary capital market issues such as the unit trust industry, fund management, derivatives and stock borrowings are encouraged.

Research papers submitted for the Award must be completed within 12 months prior to the submission deadline, which is 30 November 2004. Submissions may be in the form of project papers, thesis or dissertations. Entries must be based on research that include, but not limited to, original data collection through surveys and interviews, original case studies and quantitative or qualitative analysis. Published papers are also eligible for submission as long as the paper is published within 12 months prior to the submission deadline. Submissions must be made through the institution of higher learning.

The application form for the CMA 2004 is available on the SC website here. Interested parties may contact Encik Noorhadi Sabarmisi at tel: (603) 6204 8660 or e-mail: [email protected] for further information.