MoU sets in motion strong collaboration between Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS and Curtin University Malaysia

Miri – 30 August 2022 – Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) setting in motion collaboration in various spheres that would add to the global prominence of both universities.

The collaboration includes joint education and research activities, staff and student exchange programmes, exchange of academic materials and publications, and joint organising of academic and scientific conferences and symposia.

The virtual signing ceremony hosted by UTP’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib and Curtin Malaysia’s Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Vincent Lee Chieng Chen, representing Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Prof. Simon Leunig, signing the document on behalf of their respective universities.

Signing as witnesses were UTP’s Chief Strategy Officer Zaimizi Hamdani and Curtin Malaysia’s Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Science Prof. Tuong-Thuy Vu.

Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim in his opening speech remarked that Curtin Malaysia is no stranger to UTP, having jointly organised the 8th International Forum on Industrial Bioprocessing (IBA-IFIBIOP) in Miri in 2019 and the two universities continued their collaboration over the next two years despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said with the existence of UTP’s Centre of Biofuel and Biochemical Research (CBBR), a leading centre for biomass research in Asia, the university is ready to ramp up its collaborative research particularly in biomass and biofuels with Curtin Malaysia. UTP is also keen to work with Curtin Malaysia on joint education activities, joint seminars on education and postgraduate supervision, and exchange of faculty members and students for research, lectures and other activities.

“Meeting the world’s growing demand for energy is a formidable challenge, but I am confident we can work together on various diverse technologies to monetise different energy sources,” Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim said.

He added that UTP’s expertise extends across a range of biofuels derived from a variety of resources and its researchers have achieved breakthroughs in the development and demonstration of biofuel processes and continue to lead in the development of clean and inexpensive fuels.

Meanwhile, in his speech read by Prof. Lee, Prof. Leunig said both universities have seen considerable potential in a formal collaboration for some time and the MoU provides the framework for a very strong partnership over the next few years.

“It has been very apparent through the years that UTP’s strengths in academia and research, as well as its role as one of the leading private universities in Malaysia wholly owned by PETRONAS, should be leveraged with our status as Curtin University’s largest global campus and hub in Southeast Asia, in addition to being a private university majority-owned by the Sarawak Government,” he said.

Prof. Leunig also highlighted the many similarities between the two universities, such having campuses of similar size and students from an equivalent number of countries. Both Curtin and UTP are also globally-ranked in the QS World University Rankings (QSWUR) and Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, as well as nationally in the MyRA and SETARA rating systems.

Furthermore, both universities offer industry-relevant engineering, science and technology programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and conduct extensive research activities to solve real-world problems nationally and globally.

Both Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim and Prof. Leunig expressed confidence in the collaboration building momentum very quickly with considerable sharing of knowledge and experiences and significant research collaboration commencing soon.

Group photo of the signatories after the signing

.