Kopli (right) presenting a piece of pua kumbu to Miyagawa as souvenir, as Nawata (left) and Murakami look on. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Kyoto University, Japan are looking at possible joint ventures or collaborations in research on agriculture and bio-diversity, said Unimas deputy vice-chancellor Professor Dr Kopli Bujang.
“We are open to collaborations and we will definitely explore the possibilities, particularly in modern agriculture and bio-diversity. Unimas is strong in bio-diversity research, so that is one of the areas we will look at.
“In addition to collaborations in research and development, we are also looking at staff exchanges that are project-specific. Who knows, we can even have student exchange once we have established an official linkage. It certainly benefits both universities,” he told The Borneo Post after having a discussion with delegates from Kyoto University at the Chancellery Building on Monday.
He added that Unimas had previously signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with Japanese universities in Kyushu, Tokyo and Osaka.
The Kyoto University delegates were Agriculture Faculty and Graduate School dean Dr Hisashi Miyagawa, Agriculture Faculty and Graduate School vice dean Dr Eiji Nawata and Agricultural Facilities Engineering professor Dr Akira Murakami. They were accompanied by Tanjung Manis Global Sdn Bhd managing director Tetsuo Fujii and local coordinator Lawrence Tan.
Miyagawa, who led the visit, noted great potential in establishing a linkage with Unimas.
“We are very much interested to see what we can collaborate in with Unimas. Some of our professors are already doing research in Sarawak and some in Sabah. “We hope we can make positive contributions to the agricultural products here in the future,” he said.