8UBD and A*STAR Institute for Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, 3rd February 2014. The signing took place at the ILIA Building, UBD. Signing on behalf of the university was Professor David Young, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Office (GSRO), UBD, while IMRE was represented by Professor T. S. Andy Hor, Executive Director of IMRE. Also present to witness the signing were Dato Paduka Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education (Higher Education) and Vice Chancellor of UBD, and His Excellency, Mr Jaya Ratnam, High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam.IMRE is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). IMRE houses a range of state-of-the-art equipment for materials research including development, processing and characterisation. In addition, IMRE also conducts a wide range of research, among which includes novel materials for organic solar cells, photovoltaics, printed electronics, catalysis, bio-mimetics, sustainable materials, and atom technology. A total of 13 UBD students signed agreements for a joint Chemical Engineering Scholarship Programme by UBD and Zhejiang University of the People’s Republic of China at the Signing Ceremony of Hengyi Scholarship held on 10 February 2014 at the Empire Hotel and Country Club. The Scholarship Programme is fully funded by Syarikat Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd.The signing event was witnessed by Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office. Signing on behalf of Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd was Mr PC Huang, the Project Chief Officer at Hengyi Industres Sdn Bhd whilst the individual students signed their respective agreements in the presence of parents as guarantors.The scholarship programme is part of Hengyi’s Corporate Social Responsibility in developing the nation’s human capital by providing educational opportunities to Bruneians to realize their academic potential.UBD Signs MOU with A*STAR IMREHengyi Industries Signs Scholarship Agreement with UBD StudentThe research institute collaborates actively with other research institutes, universities, public bodies, and a wide spectrum of industrial companies, both globally and locally.Before this MoU was signed, UBD had already established existing collaborative activities with IMRE. Researchers from both institutions have been collaborating in the areas of antimicrobial materials, photovoltaics, and polymeric materials for personal care products. On the academic front, several PhD students from UBD are currently in IMRE doing their research projects in photovoltaics. In addition, some UBD students have also undergone internship in IMRE for their Discovery Year (during the 3rd year of their undergraduate studies). One of the fruits of this cooperation can be seen in the increasing number of joint scientific publications in leading journals.The signing of this MOU will further enhance and facilitate collaborative industry relevant research projects between UBD and IMRE as well as allowing UBD researchers to make use of the state-of-the-art IMRE laboratories.The programme ,jointly developed with UBD and Zhejiang University, will sponsor students currently studying at UBD to undertake the later part of their academic studies and industrial training at Zhejiang University for a period of one and a half years in the Bachelor of Engineering programme in Chemical and Process. The programme will include placements in a petrochemical plant in the People’s Republic of China where students will gain first-hand experience in an operational refinery environment. Upon completion of the programme, the students will be offered employment at Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd. This initiative is in line with the Energy Department, Prime Minister’s Office’s (EDPMO) mission to increase competencies and create 50,000 new employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry by 2035 in which 40,000 jobs are expected to be filled by local Bruneians.
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