Tomsk State University: TSU will collaborate with a major university in Malaysia
Tomsk State University and MARA University of Technology (UiTM), a major higher educational institution in Malaysia, have concluded a memorandum of understanding and cooperation. The ceremony was held online on the 14th of March.
The universities presented their achievements and discussed possible areas of collaboration. In particular, the colleagues from Malaysia aim to develop joint projects in genetics, chemistry, applied mathematics, social studies and humanities, and educational technologies. Academic exchanges and joint educational programs are also planned.
The memorandum on friendship and cooperation, promotion of mutual understanding, academic, cultural and scientific thought, and personnel exchange was signed by TSU’s Rector Edward Galazhinskiy and the Vice-Rector for International Affairs Artyom Rykun on behalf of TSU. On behalf of UiTM, the memorandum was signed by the Vice-Chancellor Roziah Mohd Janor and Acting Rector of the UiTM Pahang Campus Mohd Ilham Adenan.
“Our colleagues from Malaysia propose to cooperate not only in research and education, but also in joint publications and membership in the editorial boards of each other’s scientific journals. They offer to begin student exchange this semester. Now we need to determine the program framework for it,” said Artyom Rykun.
The parties will exchange information on potential areas for cooperation in the near future. Representatives of MARA University of Technology have already described them. They are interested in joint projects with TSU scientists in biodiversity, genetics, forestry, chemistry, petrochemistry, applied mathematics, educational technologies, new knowledge and technologies in social studies and humanities, and political and international studies.
Cooperation between TSU and UiTM also involves joint educational programs, symposiums, conferences and short courses, exchange of information about developments in education, student development, and scientific research, and much more.
As Artyom Rykun noted, MARA University of Technology was founded in 1956 to promote professional education among the population of the rural areas. Since then, it has aimed to solve relevant problems of the country and national economy, and that is why it became the largest university in Malaysia. The university has a distributed system of more than 30 satellite campuses, with the main campus located in Shah Alam, and not the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
UiTM teaches more than 160,000 students and has more than 500 diverse educational programs.
Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Evgeny Lukov, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation Alexander Vorozhtsov, and head of the Russian Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur Svetlana Kovaleva also participated in the meeting.
“Given the reputation of the two universities, and the practical results of their activities, including the successful experience of cooperation with foreign partners, there is every reason to believe that the signed memorandum will become a solid foundation for practical cooperation between Tomsk State University and MARA University of Technology,” summed up Svetlana Kovaleva.
The signing of the memorandum between TSU and UiTM took place in the same year as the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Russia.