Curtin Malaysia inks DoU with newly-formed consortium of 16 Bornean universities

MIRI (Jan 28): A delegation from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Bintulu Sarawak Campus paid a courtesy visit to Curtin University of Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) on Monday (Jan 22).

The delegation was led by Fakhzan Bujang, a senior language instructor of UPM Bintulu Sarawak Campus and head of the secretariat of Konsortium Universiti Universitas Borneo (KUUB).

He represented UPM Bintulu Sarawak Campus director, Professor Dr Shahrul Razid Sarbini, who is also the current chair of KUUB – the newly-formed consortium of 16 Bornean universities.

Other members of the delegation included deputy director of Strategy Centre and Corporate Relations, Siti Rajanah Abdul Aziz; senior lecturer of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Ts Dr Suhaili Mustafa; and administrative officer Mohamad Syukri Mohamad Adnan.

Pro vice-chancellor, president, and chief executive of Curtin Malaysia Professor Simon Leunig in his welcoming speech, said Curtin Malaysia has been very keen on strengthening its longstanding relationship with UPM Bintulu, as well as working together with the other universities in Borneo to advance education and international research in the region.

With KUUB’s upfront position in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei; Leunig expressed his hope to foster collaborations, build connections and promote mutual understanding, as well as integration to accomplish the universities’ shared goals for Borneo.

The consortium, he said, was well-aligned with Curtin University’s Vision 2030 which focused on people, planet and partnerships.

This, he added, was also in line with Curtin Malaysia’s commitment to innovation and excellence in teaching and research, and also in its engagement with the local communities.

At the meeting, Leunig signed the KUUB Declaration of Understanding (DoU) on behalf of Curtin Malaysia.

All 16 universities in KUUB were signatories to the document, affirming their commitment to the consortium’s ideals and goals.

Touching on Curtin Malaysia’s ongoing ties with UPM Bintulu, Leunig said UPM’s strengths in academia and research, as well as its role as one of the most prestigious public universities in Malaysia, could be leveraged with Curtin Malaysia’s own strengths in education and research.

“As a Sarawak government-owned entity, Curtin Malaysia fully supports the state government’s initiatives, and welcomes any opportunities to actively contribute to these efforts,” he said.
“Being a reputable institution ranked among the top one per cent of universities worldwide, Curtin University offers educational practices that meet international standards and is highly regarded within the education sector globally,” he added.

Fakhzan, in his address, meanwhile acknowledged Leunig’s strong support of KUUB’s establishment and expressed the consortium’s pledge in working towards fostering stronger relationships between the universities in Sarawak and Borneo.

“Among these efforts include the hosting of the first KUUB Postgraduate by Research Colloquium 2024 in December this year, gathering all delegates from KUUB’s universities, Curtin’s campuses in Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, Singapore and Mauritius, as well as other universities in the region in Miri,” he said.

He also emphasised KUUB’s role in promoting educational and research collaboration in the region, bringing universities closer together and fostering trans-boundary education and understanding.

Present at the meeting were Curtin Malaysia’s dean of Research and Development John Curtin Distinguished Professor Ramasamy Nagarajan; dean of Learning & Teaching, Professor Tang Fu Ee; dean of Faculty of Engineering and Science, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu; dean of Faculty of Humanities and Health Sciences, Professor Roy Rillera Marzo; dean of Faculty of Business, Professor Pauline Ho Poh Ling, and director of the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School, Professor Agus Saptoro.