Unimas Signs Collaborations With Japanese University, Corporate Giant

SAMARAHAN (Sarawak, Malaysia), March 29 (Bernama) -- University of Malaysia, Sarawak (Unimas) on Thursday signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with Japan's Yamaguchi University and Tokuyama Corporation to expand research and academic collaborations. The signing ceremony was performed by Unimas Vice-Chancellor Dr Khairuddin Ab Hamid, Yamaguchi University Vice President Dr Hiroshi Matsuda and Tokuyama Corporation's Advisor Seiichi Shiraga. Assistant Minister of Technical Education Promotion, Len Talif Salleh witnessed the ceremony. The MoU between Unimas and Yamaguchi involves students and staff exchange programmes, joint research projects and consultancies, academic information and publications and joint organisations of conferences and seminars. In the other agreement, Tokuyama will offer two scholarships for Unimas graduate students to further their studies at Yamaguchi University, grants for power quality study in Malaysia and proposals for power requirements solution for Tokuyama Sarawak, which is now developing a polycrystalline silicon plant at Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu. Prof Khairuddin who spoke at the ceremony said the two MoUs would enable them to work together in planning for the skilled and semi-skilled manpower development for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score). "We expect to learn many things from the Yamaguchi University which is a much more senior university, and from Tokuyama Corporation, a long-standing successful corporation," he said. Unimas, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is Malaysia's eighth public university and presently has eight faculties, nine centres and five institutes. Yamaguchi, meanwhile, was founded in 1949 as a national university with seven faculties and a hospital, featuring post-graduate studies that, among others, include economics, science, engineering, medicine and East Asian studies. Tokuyama was established in 1918, starting by producing sodium carbonate. It plans to start its polycrystalline silicon production in Bintulu by 2013. -- BERNAMA