Together with a delegation team, the Malaysian Minister of Education, Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Head of the Office of the Ministry of Education, Prof Dr Azlinda Azman, and the Malaysian Ambassador in Berlin, Datin Paduka Dr Adina Kamarudin, visited the campus on 22 May. In a small ceremony, Aschaffenburg UAS sealed its cooperation with two universities in Malaysia.
Among the 18 guests were leading representatives of the 'Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka' (UTeM) with President (Rector) Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr Massila Kamalrudin and the "Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah" (UMPSA) with President (Vice Chancellor) Prof Dato' Ts. Dr Yuserrie bin Zainuddin and members of the Malaysian Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Frankfurt. On the German side, distinguished guests represented the Lower Main region of Bavaria: The Mayor of Aschaffenburg, Eric Leiderer, and Dr Andreas Freundt, Managing Director of the Aschaffenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, were joined by the President of the Aschaffenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Heike Wenzel, Managing Partner of the Wenzel Group, who is also Chairwoman of the Council of the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences. Dr Michael Harms, Deputy Secretary General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), delivered a video message.
In their welcoming speeches, Vice President Prof. Dr. Ivo Schäfer, President Prof. Dr. Eva-Maria Beck-Meuth and Minister of Education Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir spoke of the many opportunities and diversity of future exchanges in the fields of education, research and teaching, which will certainly bring even more openness, cultural exchange and innovation in the field of education for all those involved. In particular, the obstacles for students to spend part of their studies in the other country should be reduced. Joint research projects and visiting professorships will also be encouraged.
The speeches were followed by the highlight of the programme: the ceremonial signing of the cooperation agreements between Aschaffenburg UAS and the two Malaysian universities UMPSA and UTeM. After the signing, gifts were exchanged before the participants went on a short tour of the campus.
The guests were particularly interested in visiting the BioMEMS laboratory, where they were given an insight into current research in the field of biomedical engineering. The BioMEMS lab is currently working on edible batteries and other innovations in microsystems technology. The delegation was also shown the premises of the new "Software Design International" (SDI) degree programme. The students currently include a student from Malaysia, who also attended the event.
One of the surprises was the presentation of the Flowmobile by Meister Strömungstechnik from the region, a company that has active business relations with Malaysia and also had a stand at Campus Careers. The Flowmobile, a mobile training and demonstration room, was brought to the campus to demonstrate the practical training at Aschaffenburg UAS. The event concluded with a reception in the Hock Hall of the University of Applied Sciences, where drinks and snacks were served to guests and there was further opportunity for in-depth discussions.
The group then set off on a tour of Linde Material Handling's KION Group company in Nilkheim. Linde Material Handling is an important cooperation partner of Aschaffenburg UAS. The joint KAnIS project was recently successfully completed.
The visit to Aschaffenburg was a return visit following an earlier delegation trip. A few weeks earlier, a group of German university representatives had visited Malaysian universities such as UTeM and UMPSA under the auspices of the DAAD. The Vice President for Studies, Teaching and International Affairs at Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, Prof Dr Ivo Schäfer, was also part of this group. During their stay, the university representatives had already held intensive discussions on the possibilities of cooperation between the German and Malaysian educational institutions and laid the foundations for the agreements that have now been signed.
The visit on 22 May is another important milestone in the global networking of Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences with educational institutions all over the world and underlines the commitment of all those involved to excellent education and research in an international context.
By the way: Malaysia has 388 private universities and colleges and 20 state universities. Its higher education system is open to the private market (as is the case in the US, for example), but is strictly regulated and monitored by the state to ensure the quality of education at all times. As Education Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir pointed out, education is always at the top of the list of priorities and expenditures in the Malaysian national budget. A full 16 per cent of the national budget is allocated to education. For comparison: In Germany, the figure was 4.4 per cent last year.