JGU signs 6 MoUs with universities in Malaysia

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with six leading universities in Malaysia and opened new avenues for its students and faculty by forging ties with several other prominent universities in Southeast Asia. The agreements were signed during the visit of a high-level JGU delegation led by Founding Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, to Malaysia recently.

These partnerships are aimed at increasing substantive opportunities for students and researchers of their respective countries through exchange programmes; joint, dual and pathways degree programmes; short-term study abroad programmes; joint conferences and joint lectures leading to joint research projects and publications that encourage innovation and cross-cultural perspectives; joint online degree programmes; and promoting collaborations among all stakeholders in India and Southeast Asia, including government agencies, public institutions, private corporations, think-tanks and research institutions.

The six Malaysian universities who signed MoUs with JGU are:

* Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU)
* Sunway University
* UNITAR International University
* INTI International University
* Multimedia University
* Nilai University

Reflecting on the importance of these partnerships, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar said, “The historical and cultural connections between India and Malaysia are deep, and the present moment itself offers a historic opportunity for the two courtiers to deepen their partnerships in diverse areas, including in education. This is particularly because India and Malaysia have become major hubs of innovations. Partnerships in education will bolster the efforts of our students and researchers by unleashing their creative potential to offer innovative and sustainable solutions to the critical problems that the world faces today.

“Moreover, at present, in both India and Malaysia, nearly half of the population is under the age of 30. While this presents us with an opportunity to reap demographic dividends, as educational instructions, it also becomes our responsibility to do everything in our power to help the youth of our countries to maximise their potential to excel in areas of their interests. This is possible when educational institutions of our countries come together in the spirit of cooperation and partnerships and open their doors for joint research and exchange of ideas through multi-level collaborations. It is with these goals that we have signed the MoUs with six great universities in Malaysia. It is my fervent hope that these partnerships will expand the scope of opportunities for our students, researchers and faculty members,” Professor Kumar said.

In particular, the MoUs will help the partner universities to develop academic and cultural exchange opportunities in education, exchange of scholarly materials and information; participate in joint or collaborative research projects and grant applications; and articulate arrangements for students to complete their course of study provided all conditions and standards for admission and respective programmes are fulfilled.

In a bid to deepen its partnership in Southeast Asian and its neighbouring areas, the JGU delegation had meetings with leaders of several other universities, including UCSI University, Univerisiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, National University of Singapore, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yale-NUS College, University Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, University of Cyberjaya, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

Among the various initiatives proposed by the universities, the leaders of the National University of Singapore (NUS) expressed interest in student exchange programmes with JGU through short-term study abroad programmes. NUS also showed keenness in partnering with JGU for its NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Programme, which is an internship programme with strong emphasis on technology entrepreneurship. Under this programme, students are required to spend either 3, 6 or 12 months at technology hubs around the world, working as full-time interns while studying part-time in a prestigious university in the region.

The central objective of JGU’s international collaborations has been to create opportunities to fulfil the aspirations of its students, researchers and faculty members by enriching their experience at JGU with global study opportunities and collaborations. Currently, JGU has over 430 partnerships with top-ranked universities across 71 countries and regions.