MIRI: With international borders reopened and travel restrictions lifted, Curtin University Malaysia has wasted no time in re-engaging with its strategic partners across ASEAN to strengthen existing collaborations and establishing new ones.
Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Science Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu together with Deputy Dean of Research and Development and Director of the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School Professor Agus Saptoro were in Ho Chi Minh City recently to visit two key Vietnamese partners.
The two partners are University of Management and Technology (UMT) and Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment (HCMUNRE).
The visit was an opportunity for Curtin University to meet senior leaders of the two Vietnamese universities face-to-face following a long period of conducting business online and take their collaboration in academia as well as joint research to a new level.
“On their visit to UMT, one of Vietnam’s newest and most modern universities designed and built to international standards, Vu and Saptoro were accompanied by Tiffany Pham, Curtin University’s In-Country Manager for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
“There they met with UMT’s Vice-Chairperson and Chief Operating Officer Huynh Thuy Phuong, Vice-President of Academic Affairs Associate Professor Ho Thanh Phong, Dean of School of Technology Associate Professor Tran Dan Thu, Dean of Business Dr. Tran Nam Quoc, and Director of Office of Curriculum Design and Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Pham Thi Huong,” the university said in a statement.
During their meeting, the university said they discussed ongoing collaboration outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Curtin Malaysia and UMT in 2022, including articulation for bachelor’s and master’s programmes at Curtin Malaysia, collaboration in developing a supply chain management programme, student mobility programmes between the two universities, and co-teaching and guest lecturing for selected programmes.
They also discussed research-related collaborations such as doctoral degree training for UMT academics at Curtin Malaysia, training and registering of external Higher Degree by Research (HDR) supervisors from UMT at Curtin Malaysia, and research alliances in strategic areas leveraging on the research strengths of both universities.
Meanwhile, at the HCMUNRE, Vu and. Saptoro met with Vice-President Associate Professor Le Hoang Nghiem, and Vice-Director of HCMUNRE’s Research Institute for Sustainable Development Associate Professor Le Chung Chon.
Also present were Head of HCMUNRE’s Office of Research Development and External Relations Associate Professor Ho Thi Thanh Van, and Vice-Head Dr. Tran Thanh Tam, as well as representatives of its Environment, Land Administration, Information System and Remote Sensing faculties.
“Among the proposed collaboration discussed during the meeting included doctoral degree training for HCMUNRE staff and training and registering of external HDR supervisors from UMT at Curtin Malaysia; research collaboration in the areas of marine ecology, climate change, geology, geospatial intelligence, environment and renewable energy; and short courses delivered by Curtin Malaysia academics and researchers at HCMUNRE,” it added.
