USM PENANG, 30 Aug 2022 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) via the School of Biological Sciences and School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering today has further strengthened its partnership with Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT), Japan through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Supplemental Agreement of the Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA).

This signing event marks the start of a new research project to be embarked upon, which is Urban Farming Research between Professor S. Sreeramanan (School of Biological Sciences) and Professor Kotara Takayama and also extending a project that has been on-going since 2005, which is Nanomaterials Research between Professor Dr. Zainovia Lockman (School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering) and Professor Dr. Atsunori Matsuda.

Signing on behalf of USM was the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan and on behalf of TUT was the TUT Executive Trustee, Vice President for Research, International Affairs, General Affairs, Professor Shinichi Yamamoto.

Also present as witnesses were the School of Biological Sciences Dean, Professor Dato’ Dr. Amirul Al-Ashraf Abdullah and the USM Research Creativity and Management Office (RCMO) Director, Professor Dr. Zainovia Lockman.

USM and TUT have been working closely since 2006 involving various Schools and Research/Service Centres, on research programmes, joint degree programmes, student exchanges, industrial placement, staff development as well as community engagement.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi