KUALA LUMPUR, 2 May 2024 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) via the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (PPKEE) today has taken steps to strengthen its strategic partnership with Al-Mustaqbal University (UOMUS), Iraq through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).

The collaboration between the two parties is meant to embark on USM's Mixed Mode Master of Science in Electronic Systems lDesign Engineering (MSc. ESDE) programme to be offered at the UOMUS campus beginning this 2024/2025 academic year.

Signing on behalf of USM was the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, and on behalf of UOMUS was its President, Professor Dr. Hasan Shakir Majdi; witnessed by the Dean of PPKEE, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Shahrel Azmin Sundi@Suandi, and the President’s Advisor for Academic and International Affairs, UOMUS, Associate Professor Dr. Hamza Mohammed Ridha Al-Khafaji.

This MoA is aimed at nurturing talents in Electronic Systems Design Engineering among the university graduates in Iraq as well as in the Middle East Region, which will commence in October 2024.

The programme will provide the students with the cutting edge knowledge in electronic engineering field and state-of-the-art skills for the graduates to transcend barriers in the sustainable electronic industry.

According to Abdul Rahman, some of whom are industrial practitioners from Multi-National Companies (MNC) in Malaysia, for both local and international graduates have benefitted from this programme.

"At USM, we have many students from Iraq and the Middle-East who have travelled and stayed in Malaysia to attend this programme.

"Thus, we are honoured to have UOMUS as our pioneer partner to diversify the delivery of this programme through the offshore location in Babylon, Iraq for the first time," he said.

Abdul Rahman also added by saying that USM will further expand few more programmes with UOMUS later in future.

Meanwhile, Hasan Shakir Majdi said that through this collaboration, it is hoped that the programme will provide access to quality education for Iraqi students through UOMUS infrastructure, thereby enriching their educational knowledge.

Following the signing, both parties engaged in fruitful discussions, exploring future collaborations and strategies to bolster their partnership.

Also present were the Exercising the Function of the USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and International, Professor Dr. Habibah A Wahab and principal officers of USM.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md Isa