KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and Okayama University of Japan recently inked a memorandum of agreement to pave the way for student exchange between the two institutions.
Professor Eiji Matsuura from the Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Okayama Medical Innovation Center, Okayama University, was on campus to exchange the MoA with Swinburne Sarawak Deputy Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Janet Gregory.
Matsuura was at the Australian branch campus to represent Okayama University Vice-President and Executive Director (Social Responsibility and International Affairs) Professor Masaru Araki.
Following the MoA, each institution will accept up to five students annually.
The agreement is an appendix to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Swinburne’s home campus in Melbourne and Okayama University.
Matsuura also presented the MoU signed by Okayama University President Professor Kiyoshi Morita, to Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson at the ceremony.
Swinburne Melbourne’s Jeffery Smart, Vice-president (International and Students), was the signatory.
The MoU recognises the common interests in developing bilateral relations between universities and in contributing to cultural enrichment, scientific progress, and the consolidation of friendship between Australia, Malaysia and Japan.
It promotes the exchange of students, faculty and staff, and collaborative research, instructional and cultural programs, as well as the exchange of research information.
“The MOA we are exchanging today is an opportunity for us to facilitate student exchange where we are looking at students coming in for a period of perhaps an academic year either to Sarawak or to Japan. We are very excited by this possibility for our students to have that chance to study and work in another country,” said Gregory.
She attributed the development of the MoU and MoA to the university’s biotechnology lecturer Dr Hwang Siaw San who had been working closely with Matsuura in the field of biomedical and biotechnology, one of Swinburne Sarawak’s research strength.
“We are very pleased to see that developing and leading to opportunities for research involving Okayama university, Swinburne Sarawak and Swinburne Melbourne,” she said, adding that outcomes from this included joint publications, and a Swinburne Sarawak master of science graduate pursuing a PhD with Okayama University, and joint supervision of students in research areas.
In essence, the student exchange agreement will greatly benefit the students from both institutions, said Matsuura.
“I believe both institutions are striving for mutual goals to establish higher knowledge in the younger generation to nurture them into intellectuals and rational individuals who are capable of providing significant contribution to society.”
Such cooperation and collaboration will be an asset to both institutions, he added.
“I am sure that the future collaboration between Swinburne university and Okayama university will bring forth a bright future to both institutions.”
Present to witness the simple ceremony were the senior management staff of Swinburne Sarawak and heads of faculties, Dr Hwang Siaw San and Dr Alan Fong Yean Yip, head of Clinical Research Center, Sarawak General Hospital.