USM PENANG, 6 May 2024 - In a immense step towards fostering international collaboration in the realm of sustainable energy, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shandong University and Qingdao Daneng Environmental Protection Equipment Incorporated Company from China.

The Vice-Chancellor of USM, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed stated that the signing represented a significant milestone in the global pursuit of clean and reliable energy sources, while underscoring the vital role hydrogen plays in the ongoing global transition towards sustainability.

“It has garnered the attention of experts across various disciplines, owing to its potential and signifies a commitment to fostering synergistic collaborations that drive groundbreaking advancements as a clean energy alternative,” said Abdul Rahman.

“As the world continues its rapid transformation towards sustainability, collaborations such as these also serve to illustrate the importance of global cooperation in addressing pressing environmental challenges,” he added.

Meanwhile, during his address, Vice President of Shandong University, Qingdao Campus, Song Zuobiao, highlighted the institution's unwavering commitment to international cooperation and its strategic focus on globalisation.

“Shandong University is dedicated to fostering global talent and advancing academic excellence on an international scale, particularly through collaborative student training initiatives with the objective of developing high-quality talents,” stated Song.

He further elaborated that the partnership will subsequently be aligned with discipline clusters focused on the following areas such as Biology-Environics-Oceanology, Computer-Optoelectronic Information-Network Security, and Politics-Law-Public Administration.

Additionally, at the signing ceremony, the Chairman of the Board at Qingdao DaNeng Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd., China, Wang Yong, underscored the company's unwavering dedication to supporting the national ecological and environmentally sustainable development strategy.

"For nearly two decades, Qingdao DaNeng has been committed to designing, manufacturing, and distributing energy-saving, environmental protection, and emission reduction equipment across various sectors, including electricity, heat, metallurgy, and waste treatment," he stated.

According to him, the company has achieved notable success due to its comprehensive research, development, production, and sales system while driven by its commitment to internationalisation and innovation.

“The objective of this collaboration is to conduct joint research on energy-efficient, green, and low-carbon technologies, facilitate the transformation of key research findings into industrial applications, and overcome intellectual property barriers.

“This initiative is designed to leverage the combined strengths of these three parties in order to facilitate technological upgrading and foster industry-university research cooperation,” he told.

Also present were the Dean of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, representing the Director of the USM Engineering Campus, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Shahrel Azmin Sundi @ Suandi; Dean, USM School of Mechanical Engineering; Associate Professor Dr. Jamaluddin Abdullah; President of Penang Muslim Entrepreneurs Association, Datuk Sr. Dr. Muhamad Farid Saad and Director of the USM Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Wira Mohd Shafiei.

Text: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Photo: Muhammad Taufik Abdul Rahman