PENANG, 20 March 2014 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman, is the only representative from outside Japan to be appointed as a member of the Tri- Institutional Collaborative/Cooperative Educational Reform Project Council as part of the National University Reform Enhancement Promotion Project by the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.

The Vice-Chancellor had attended a meeting held in Tokyo on March 19, 2014.

The Council members comprised the Toyota Technological Institute president, Hiroyuki Sakaki; Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc. president, Iwao Nihashi; The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Nobel Laureate Executive Director, Makoto Kabayashi; The Science Council of Japan President, Takashi Oonishi; Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation president and CEO, Yoshimitsu Kobayashi; Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT) president, Yoshinao Mishima; Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT) president, Koichi Niihara, Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) president, Yoshiyuki Sakaki; and the Institute of National Colleges of Technology (KOSEN) president, Hidefumi Kobatake.

I am deeply touched by this honour since I am the only one from Malaysia and from outside of Japan who is sitting in this committee,” said Omar.

This project is to provide educational programmes that will strengthen global relationship and innovative human resource development which included programmes to develop the campus network as a platform for cooperation and coordination, creating a hub of international cooperation and collaboration, establishing a strong industry-academia-government linkage based on local industry and developing the synergies of higher education among existing institutions.

The Vice-Chancellor together with a member of USM Board of Governors, Dato’ Seri Jamaluddin Hassan, also visited a number of institutions of higher education in Japan. The Vice-Chancellor also delivered a lecture entitled “Overview of the Malaysian Education Transformation and USM's Role as the Apex University” to the lecturers and students at TUT followed by a question-and-answer on how USM pursue research and the future direction of its research and development.

Omar also held bilateral meetings with TUT’s President Dr. Yoshiyuki Sakaki, Vice-Presidents and senior officers. During the meeting, both sides agreed to widen the network of cooperation in bilateral research in several areas, including advanced Neuroscience, Nano Materials Science and Electronics Engineering.

“Currently TUT and USM have already established a collaboration centre called TUT-USM Centre in Penang and already initiated education programmes together.

Also present at the meeting were the USM Research Creativity and Management Office director Assoc. Profesor Dr. Lee Keat Tiong and a USM alumnus, Dr Wai Kian Tan, who became a lecturer at TUT after furthering his studies in Materials Engineering and obtained a doctoral degree (Ph.D) from TUT.

“As the Vice-Chancellor, we are proud of our USM alumni’s achievement,” added Omar.

During the same visit, the Vice-Chancellor also held a brief discussion with Malaysian students at TUT who, in general, are performing well.

Omar advised them not to forget their alma mater which is TUT and continue their link with TUT even after they have returned to their home country. There are also some of the students from among those who will graduate at TUT and will continue to work in Japan. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon /Text: Mohamad Abdullah/Photo: Courtesy of Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT)