by Jelli Grace C. Luzano, OVCPD
THE MINDANAO State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) and the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 27, 2019, to formalize the partnership between the two universities.
UTP was represented by seven of its officials: Prof. Ir. Dr. M. Shahir Liew, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation; Ir. Dr. Aidid Chee Tahir, Chief Strategy Officer; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noor Amila Binti Wan Abdullah Zawawi, Director of the Institute of Self-Sustainable Building; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Syahrir Ridha, Director of the Institute of Hydrocarbon Recovery; Dr. Muhammad Azfar bin Mohamed, Project Manager for Malaysia-Indochina Institutional and Industrial Initiatives (MIIII); Ms. Siti Noor Arfah Binti Umar, Executive of the Admission & Records Department and Registry Custodian; and, Dr. Noridah Osman, Project Manager for Philippines-Malaysia Institutional and Industrial Initiatives (PMIII).
During the signing, MSU-IIT’s Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol and Dr. Liew initially discussed potential areas of partnership, which was elaborated during the Collaboration Meeting conducted at the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM) on October 28, 2019. As a university specializing in industry-relevant science and technology, UTP’s academic and research thrusts match MSU-IIT’s engineering, science, and technology programs.
In the near future, the areas of agreement articulated in the MOU is expected to be translated to actual engagements. Together, the collaboration between the two universities is a partnership that promises research output with important implications for the academe and society at large.