Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) are set to collaborate on aquaculture and fisheries research following a visit by a delegation from UMT to Curtin Malaysia and the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) between the two universities, according to a press release.
The delegation from UMT’s Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP) comprised AKUATROP Director Professor Mohammad Ikhwanuddin, Deputy Director of UMT’s International Centre Professor Ts Lam Su Shiung, research professor Professor Meisam Tabatabaei and post-doctoral researcher Dr Wan Adibah Wan Mahari.
They attended a series of meetings and dialogues with academics and researchers of Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science to explore opportunities for research collaboration, and also visited the campus’ research facilities, including the Sarawak Biovalley Pilot Plant (SBPP).
Curtin Malaysia is set to be Curtin University’s teaching and research hub for sustainable quaculture specialising in tropical fish species with the transfer of its hub at Curtin’s main campus in Perth to Miri and the completion of a new sustainable aquaculture centre at its campus later this year.
The campus currently operates a temporary aquaculture research laboratory at the SBPP and has been offering a coursework Master of Science in Sustainable Aquaculture since early last year.
Curtin Malaysia’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive Professor Simon Leunig said that collaboration with AKUATROP would accelerate the development and enhance the capabilities of the sustainable aquaculture centre at Curtin Malaysia.
“AKUATROP is a leading research institute in Malaysia, renowned for its long and extensive experience in aquaculture and fisheries research, while we are relative newcomer, albeit one with big ambitions, so it would be very advantageous for us to collaborate with AKUATROP,” said Professor Leunig.
“We have also established a core team of aquaculture researchers, who are working closely with our researchers in the biotechnologies and bio-processing areas to accelerate our aquaculture research capabilities,” he added.