KOTA KINABALU: One of India's premier higher learning institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) is looking at the possibility of spreading its wings to Sabah, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
"Sabah, through the University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF), is also looking at the possibility of forging an academic collaboration with IITM," said Hajiji, who is UCSF Chancellor.
He said this after meeting IITM global engagement chief executive officer Dr
Thirumalai Madhavnarayan and IITM global engagement dean Prof Raghunathan Remgaswamy at his office in Menara Kinabalu on Wednesday (Feb 27).
During the meeting, Hajiji was briefed that IITM was exploring the possibility of establishing its first Asian campus outside India in Sabah.
The move is part of IITM's strategic expansion to develop a global innovation ecosystem, with Malaysia identified as its initial foray into Asia following the success of its first international campus in Zanzibar, Africa, launched two years ago.
Also present were state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Masidi Manjun, state Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Sr Safar Untong and UCSF chairman Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakub Johari and UCSF vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Rafiq Idris.
