5DiscoverFEATUREThe Official Establishment of IBER, FIT and CAReAmong the many highlights of the year regarding UBD milestones was the establishment of three key centres formally officiated by His Majesty Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD in his Titah at the 25th UBD Convocation Ceremony held on 12 September 2013 namely, the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER), the Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT) and the Centre for Advanced Research (CARe). In his Titah, His Majesty highlighted the crucial roles these centres will play with regards to their direct involvement with national issues, relevant research as well as in gaining international recognition for the university.In terms of research, the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) underscores a key research thrust of UBD, aiming to further develop necessary avenues in Brunei Darussalam through international collaborations with renowned institutions worldwide as well as contribute to the exploration of Brunei Darussalam’s biodiversity through expeditions and other biodiversity explorations. Key IBER initiatives with international partners, for instance, include the establishment of the 25-ha permanent forest plot in Kuala Belalong in collaboration with the Center for Tropical Forest Science of Harvard University, as well as the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE), which has brought together a core group of prestigious research universities. In this regard, the world-renowned Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) remains as a core research focus and premier facility of IBER, drawing international scientists to Brunei Darussalam to conduct research projects ranging from ecology, taxonomy, medicinal plants research, parasite ecology and soundscape research at KBFSC. The centre also offers field-based educational opportunities to students from Brunei Darussalam’s secondary schools, higher education institutions and overseas UBD partner universities. Hence, UBD - through IBER - will continue to contribute towards a systematic organization and enhancement of biodiversity knowledge in Brunei Darussalam. Through cooperation and close collaboration with government stakeholders, IBER aims to help His Majesty’s Government achieve the nation’s economic vision of Wawasan 2035, as well as to help the nation meet the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which Brunei Darussalam is a party by accession.Another landmark event was the establishment of the Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT), which is a new forward-looking engineering faculty with innovative teaching structures based on a systems approach, in addition to its quality staff and collaborations with international institutions. The mission of FIT is explicitly catered to the nation’s needs and UBD’s vision, with programmes in the faculty being inter-disciplinary initiatives and studies that contribute to unparalleled inter-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate education. The faculty aims to inculcate in its students tendencies towards innovation, leadership as well as an awareness of the environment. providing quality and innovative engineering education accredited internationally. FIT’s education philosophy emphasises cross-fertilization between engineering disciplines with the Sciences, Mathematics as well as the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS), and, as a result, the faculty able to act as a catalyst or bridge between faculties and centres in UBD. FIT also aspires to acting as the main feeder for industries ranging from small medium enterprises to more established local industries both within the region and internationally. This can be achieved through its active collaborations with stakeholders on ensuring that FIT’s pedagogy and curriculum are in line with those being expected by stakeholders. The faculty also aims to strengthen its engineering research through collaboration and active engagement with top research institutes around the world.The third key addition to UBD is the Centre for Advanced Research (CARe), which will provide valuable information for academic enquiry, policy-making and national development, combining the collection of high-quality quantitative and qualitative data on quality of life, social indicators, health, family, as well as problems relating to the poor, youth, crime, drugs and obesity, in addition to other social issues and problems relevant to Bruneian society. The type of results generated from the Centre will contribute to academic research and is also critical to sound policy-making. A key aim of the Centre will be to work closely with relevant government ministries and agencies to both share the findings and recommendations of the research projects as well as provide training programmes and capacity building workshops for the staff. CARe also promotes trans-disciplinary research and, in the initial phase, the Centre will focus on several key research areas such as the youth (including youth problems and youth aspirations), low income families (including economic issues, nutrition, and educational objectives), crime (including youth crime and drug problems), ageing and obesity. Several research projects have already been started in these areas. A long-term goal of CARe is to develop a comprehensive data bank which will serve as an important resource for academic research for staff as well as to attract international scholars and students interested in research on Brunei Darussalam.
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