Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1488480
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 DECEMBER 2022 13 COMMERCIAL 200,000 viewers in single day for World Cup matches WORLD Cup viewership hit the 200,000 mark dur- ing the quarterfinals, with the nail-biting England v France match alone keeping 135,000 people on the edge of their seats. Melita Limited has created an in-house system to meas- ure audiences, which extrap- olates various data sources to calculate the number of viewers, and households watching together. The numbers could well be high- er since most popular sports games are often watched in bars or bigger groups. The tournament now enters a critical phase and Maltese audiences will no doubt tune in today as defending cham- pions France take on Moroc- co ahead of Sunday's World Cup final. Some 120,000 people tuned in to watch the last Morocco match, which saw Portugal packing their bags to return home. Mireille Muscat, Head of Marketing at Melita, said: "Local viewers have been very excited about the World Cup as the tournament has thrown up a few surprises with some unexpected coun- tries taking centre stage. We are expecting interest to in- tensify as we approach the final." MCAST launches the 4th edition of the Research and Innovation Expo THE Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST) held the opening launch of the 4th edition of its annual Research and Innova- tion EXPO 2022. This two-day event recognises research endeavors, in a variety of disciplines, conducted un- der 29 research themes across the six College Institutes and Centres. Over 80 participants registered for this yearly event showcasing the College's grow- ing research community. During the two-day EX- PO, a selection of internal research, as well as external- ly- funded projects under a variety of schemes, are being demonstrated. The research at MCAST is carried out in the ambiance of true-to-life voca- tional education with the aim of contributing to the wider society. Speaking during the event opening MCAST Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calleja explained how the Col- lege has raised the bar on both internal and external research collaborations and explained how "over the past the 3 years there were more than 30 new approved externally-funded R&I projects under 14 different schemes rendered at MCAST, with an average of 85 lectur- ers doing research at MCAST every academic year." During the EXPO, Institute Directors, and other Centre leaders participated in a panel discussion about possible steps that could enhance inter-insti- tute and industrial collabora- tion and innovation. MCAST Deputy Principal Dr Tatjana Chircop said, "through the Applied Research and In- novation Centre, the College has radically strengthened its research agenda and capacity building by establishing new post-graduate programmes, including a doctoral pro- gramme." Acting Director for Research and Innovation, Dr Lorna Bon- nici West spoke about the im- portance of communicating research results through such events as well as through the publication of the MCAST Journal of Applied Research and Practice. e a hub where research and innovation are prioritised to empower academics with new knowledge and skills for the benefit of all MCAST students. The event is being held at the MCAST Resource Centre in- augurated at the beginning of the year and which has a new two-storey library and various learning spaces.