Institut Teknologi Bandung keen to collaborate with Curtin Sarawak

Miri – 26 July, 2010 – A delegation from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), one of Indonesia’s leading institutions of higher learning, paid a visit to Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) on 23 July 2010 to explore opportunities for collaboration between the two institutions.

The nine-member delegation was headed by Professor Bermawi Iskandar, Deputy Dean (Academic) of ITB’s Faculty of Industrial Technology.

Other members of the delegation comprised the faculty’s Deputy Dean (Resources) Dr Melia L. Gunawan; heads of its Physics, Industrial Engineering & Management Postgraduate, Chemical Engineering Postgraduate, Engineering Physics and Instrumentation & Control Postgraduate, and Engineering First Year programmes; as well as its Director of Education and Coordinator of Research and External Relations.

On hand to welcome the delegation were Curtin Sarawak’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Kerr and Chief Operating Officer James Ng, as well as senior academicians and staff of the university’s School of Engineering and Science led by its dean, Dr Yudi Samyudia.

According to Professor Bermawi, ITB was interested in collaborate with Curtin Sarawak in areas such as benchmarking, joint research, and student and staff exchange programmes, among others.

“We are continually expanding and working to enhance our research capabilities and output, as well as seeking new collaborations with leading institutions worldwide in various aspects of education and research,” he said.

He added that ITB was keen to establish student exchange programmes with other leading institutions to give its students opportunities for international exposure. It currently runs double degree programmes with several foreign institutions, allowing its students to complete part of their programmes overseas.

Professor Kerr meanwhile said Curtin Sarawak was honoured that ITB was interested to benchmark itself against the university.

“I am very pleased that ITB holds Curtin Sarawak in such high regard. Indeed, we have worked very hard to achieve a good standing and reputation not only in Malaysia, but also internationally, over the last few years,” he said.

Professor Kerr cited self-accreditation status granted by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and, more recently, Curtin Sarawak’s Tier Five rating in the MQA’s SETARA rating of institutions of higher learning (which placed it among the 18 top universities in Malaysia), as testimony to Curtin Sarawak’s exceptional courses and teaching and learning, as well as its research output, staff calibre, and the quality of its graduates and their employability.

He said such recognition reaffirmed Curtin Sarawak’s reputation as a leading higher education institution in Malaysia. They were also welcome additions to its impressive list of accreditations, such as its Bachelor degrees in Civil & Construction Engineering, Computer System Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, Electronic & Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Systems & Networking, and Chemical Engineering accredited by the Institution of Engineers of Malaysia and Australia.

In addition, its Chemical Engineering programme is accredited by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), United Kingdom, and its Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) programme by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

According to Professor Kerr, accreditation of the engineering programmes have helped Curtin Sarawak’s School of Engineering and Science attract highly-qualified academic staff, including PhD holders from leading universities such as Oxford University, Imperial College London, University of Queensland and Australian National University.

“Accreditation also gives our students the opportunity to benchmark their performance with other universities throughout the world,” he said.

Accreditation of Curtin Sarawak’s business programmes, meanwhile, include recognition of its Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) degree by the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), And accreditation of its Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Accounting programmes by Chartered Public Accountants Australia (CPA Australia).

Professor Kerr said he wholeheartedly welcomed any collaboration with ITB as Curtin Sarawak is always seeking opportunities to foster successful partnerships with educational institutions, industry, business and government, to enhance the quality of its scholarship, teaching and research.

“I am certain ITB’s standing in Indonesia could somehow be leveraged with Curtin Sarawak’s status as Curtin University’s first and largest offshore campus ideally located nearby in Malaysia, including its commitment to innovation and excellence in teaching and research, for a mutually beneficial relationship,” he said.

The delegation from ITB with Professor Kerr (seated, front row) and senior staff and academicians of Curtin Sarawak.

Handshake between Prof Bermawi and Prof Kerr that will hopefully lead to the start of a fruitful collaboration.