KUALA TERENGGNU: Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has further strengthened its thrust in the marine and maritime field with the opening of a joint academic centre with Ocean University of China (OUC) here yesterday.
UMT Vice Chancellor Prof Datuk Nor Aeini Mokhtar said the UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre for Marine Studies is the beginning of further collaborations with OUC.
“It all began when UMT and OUC signed a memorandum of understanding back in 2016. That led to many positive developments including the appointment of UMT’s Marine Biotechnology Institute director Prof Dr Yeong Yik Soong and I as visiting professors at OUC,” she said at the opening and memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing ceremony at UMT yesterday.
She said the joint academic centre has underlined several plans to further enhance the collaboration between UMT and OUC including student and faculty members’ exchanges, joint publications and other programmes.
“Today, we will start our first joint workshop in aquatic sciences covering the topics of the ocean and environment, ocean and environmental studies, aquaculture, aquatic microbiology and immunology.
“UMT had hosted 15 students from OUC from July 28 to Aug 3 this year. They came here to join our ‘Culture and Nature: Immersion Summer Camp’ during which we introduced them to the marine and wetlands ecology of Terengganu,” she said.
OUC president Prof Dr Yu Zhigang said the opening of the joint academic centre is a milestone in UMT-UOC cooperation.
“We see the centre as one of our most important platforms of international cooperation, and will do our best to support it.
“Focusing on marine life technology, I hope the centre could pool resources of marine life, fisheries, marine geology and ocean engineering so that we can jointly educate postgraduate students and conduct technological cooperation in marine fields,” he said.
He said with its long coastline and rich marine resources, the marine industry is very important to Malaysia’s economy and working together in marine-related fields is critical to the Malaysia-China cooperation.
“The UMT-OUC Joint Academic Centre will push for our two countries’ innovative development in marine research,” he said.
He said the partnership of OUC, a key university in China established in 1924 with strengths in ocean sciences and fisheries with UMT, Malaysia’s most important institution in fishery and ocean sciences supported by Malaysia’s Education Ministry will bring both universities to greater heights.
“China and Malaysia have enjoyed a longstanding friendship that has brought benefits to the people and I hope the joint centre would aim high, have a roadmap to generate real progress for long-term, sustainable developments.
“I believe that the centre will deepen the partnership between our universities, contribute to the two countries cooperation in marine education, science and technology,” he said.
