UiTM to sample German innovation

Bilateral partnership: University of Stuttgart vice rector for Diversity and Internationalisation Prof Dr Silke Wieprecht looks on as varsity rector Prof Dr Wolfram Ressel and Prof Mohamad Hariri exchange the MoU documents.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has identified Germany as a strategic partner, particularly in engineering studies as the country is a leading global innovator in the manufacturing industry, and known for being the first nation to take steps towards Industry 4.0.

In addition, Germany has established TU9, which is an alliance of nine universities of technology which strive for excellence in engineering and artificial science in the country through research and transfer of knowledge between academia and industry.

In view of this, as well as the Experiential Learning and Competency-Based Education Landscape (EXCEL) framework introduced by the Higher Education Ministry, a UiTM delegation led by its deputy vice-chancellor (Industry, Community and Alumni Network) Prof Dr Mohamad Hariri Abdullah recently signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design IEM and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) as a representative of the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) universities.

It was signed with the objective of cooperation in research, and the development of innovationlabs.my, which plays a role in improving the innovation ecosystem between academics and industry in product development and innovation collaboration, according to a press release dated July 15.

Laboratory facilities with “Digital Engineering” workspaces, prototyping technologies and workshop and training facilities have been opened to students, researchers and industry since September 2019, the statement read.

The LoI signing ceremony was held at the IoT Experience Center in Fraunhofer IEM.

In a separate event, UiTM exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Stuttgart, which is one of the TU9.

Under their collaboration for the Dual Master’s Degree Programme and Joint Doctoral Degree, both parties will exchange expertise, technology and innovation.

The programme is expected to produce graduates who are multidisciplinary, resilient, able to contribute effectively to the country, and competitive in the local and overseas job markets. In the statement, the varsity said it hopes its bilateral academic-industry partnership with Germany, which aligns with its aspiration to become a globally renowned university in 2025, will help increase its visibility.