Delegates from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) called on UTAR Kampar Campus on 29 October 2019.

Led by NAIST Vice President Prof Kiyomi Kakiuchi, the delegation comprised NAIST Division of Biological Science Director Prof Naoyuki Inagaki, Division of Materials and Science’s Prof Hironari Kamikubo, Division of Biological Science’s Prof Hisaji Maki, and International Liaison Office’s University Education Administrator Dr Masako Shimamoto.

They were received by UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Yow Ho Kwang. Also present were Faculty of Science (FSc) Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng; Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Assoc Prof Dr Gideon Khoo; Department of Biological Science Head Dr Nor Ismaliza Binti Mohd Ismail; Department of Agricultural and Food Science Head Dr Ong Mei Kying; Tan Sri Dato' Philip Kuok Professorial Chair in Agricultural Science Prof Dr Minoru Murata; Department of Biological Science's Assoc Prof Dr Wong Hann Ling; Department of Chemical Science's Dr Mohammod Aminuzzaman; Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology Department of Environmental Engineering's Prof Dr Akihiko Nakayama; and Division of Community and International Networking Deputy Director Dr Chen I-Chi.

Expressing his delight and honour to receive the NAIST delegates, Prof Yow said it was a privilege for UTAR to have NAIST as collaborative partner. “UTAR and NAIST had been memorandum of understanding (MoU) partners since 2013 and we recently renewed the MoU in 2018 to maintain the collaboration in academic and student exchange. I believe there are still plenty areas in which we can work together on and I look forward to discussing further on this later.” The Vice President also extended his appreciation to Prof Maki’s commitment as one of FSc’s External Examiners, signifying the committed working relationship between both sides. 

Rejoicing over his second visit to the award-winning Kampar Campus since March 2018, on behalf of the NAIST delegates, Prof Kakiuchi extended his appreciation to UTAR for its warm hospitality as always. “For our visit this time, I hope to discuss further on our existing collaborations as well as exchange in both education and research. Every year NAIST accepts many Malaysian students from our academic partners in which UTAR is one of them and has been having steady interaction with us,” he pointed out, adding that he has always been impressed by the beauty of Kampar Campus.

Further introducing NAIST’s ongoing internationalisation efforts and strategies, Dr Shimamoto presented, “NAIST currently houses 296 students from 29 countries and regions such as China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, France, Korea, Bangladesh, Germany, and so on. In terms of academic collaborations, NAIST currently has 109 academic agreements in 29 countries and regions. As of August 2019, we have eight double degree programmes in five countries.” The International Liaison Officer also highlighted NAIST’s spectrum of international activities such as joint workshops and seminars, overseas education and research, student internships at NAIST, and international faculty and staff development. 

The discussion between UTAR and NAIST also shed light on the possibility of collaborating on English Enhancement and Immersion Programmes as well as double degree programmes.

During the visit, the NAIST delegation also took the opportunity to visit the well-equipped laboratories at FSc and also presented talks on NAIST’s graduate study programmes.

Redefining graduate-level education, NAIST was founded in 1991 as a Japanese national university comprising only graduate schools in three key research areas, namely information science, biological sciences, and materials science. In 2018, the three graduate schools were merged to form the Graduate School of Science and Technology which composed of education programmes in the original three research areas and the four interdisciplinary areas emerging among them. UTAR and NAIST first signed an MoU in 2013 to promote academic exchanges including collaborative research, joint symposia, lectures and exchange of scholars, researchers and administrative staff; exchange of information and also exchange of graduate students. The MoU was renewed in 2018, signifying the strong trust and bond forged between the two higher learning institutions over the years.