UNIVERSITI Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and Osaka University (OU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday in Osaka, Japan. Representing UTB was Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman, while President of OU Professor Dr Shojiro Nishio signed on behalf of the university.
Also present during the signing ceremony were OU Executive Vice-President of Global Engagement and Student Support Professor Dr Kawahara Genta and OU Collaborative Professor Hajah Normah Suria Hayati binti Pehin Dato Haji Jamil.
The MoU followed the signing of the Letter of Intent between UTB and OU on February 22. Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah in her speech at the ceremony shared that the international collaboration will address holistic and comprehensive programmes involving student exchange and improving the capability of Bruneian researches to be equivalent to the international benchmark.
She also said she believed the collaboration will allow the universities to produce first class researchers.
She added that the MoU was an opportunity for UTB and OU to offer joint or dual Master programmes and MSc by Research in relevant areas. Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah highlighted that UTB is motivated to contribute to technological collaboration between Brunei and Japan, as well as to develop teams for collaborative research and provide opportunities between Bruneian and Japanese students.
Meanwhile, a group of academics from UTB, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), led by Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah, attended OU’s second joint symposium with higher educational institutions of Brunei Darussalam at the university in Osaka.
The symposium’s theme was ‘Innovation in Science and Technology’, and the first symposium was held on February 21.
The symposium began with a welcoming address by Professor Kawahara Genta, followed by a plenary address by the Vice-Chancellor of UTB. Also present were Professor Hajah Normah Suria Hayati and Professor Kazumasa Hirata of OU.
The symposium was divided into three scientific sessions. The first session focussed on the area of Bioresource and Biodiversity (BB), facilitated by Professor Kazumasa Hirata. The speakers were Professor Hajah Normah Suria Hayati; Professor Masayoshi Arai from OU; UTB’s Dr Aida Maryam Haji Basri; Dr Fairuzeta binti Haji Muhd Ja’afar from UBD; Associate Professor Dr Kazuo Harada from OU; and visiting Associate Professor from Collaborative Laboratory of Saraya Co Ltd, OU.
The second session, facilitated by Professor Eiichi Tamiya, OU, was on Nano Technology and Advanced Materials (NAM).
The speakers included Professor Dr Yasushu Inoue from Photonics Centre, OU; Dr Maziyar Sabet from UTB; Dr Mohammad Hilni Harun Sani from UBD; and Dr Fumitaka Fujita, Visiting Associate Professor from the Collaborative Laboratory of Mandam Co Ltd, OU.
The final session of the symposium focussed on Halal Science and Technology (HST), and was facilitated by Professor Quamrul Hasan from OU. The speakers were Associate Professor Nurdeng Deuraseh from UNISSA, Dr Syazana Abdullah Lim from UTB and Dr Lim Lee Hoon from UBD.