Bringing Malaysia and the EU closer together

PA 61/10 A new initiative to bring Malaysia and the European Union closer together will be co-ordinated by The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC), it has been announced. MYEULINK, a new three-year project based in Malaysia, aims to increase awareness and understanding of the EU and its key policies among universities, government officials, the private sector, the media and other interest groups in Malaysia. Funded through a grant of €575,000 by the EU, and with support from the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, the project will encourage co-operation and dialogue in higher education, and keep decision-makers in Malaysia informed on a range of EU policy initiatives. It is the first major EU-funded activity to be co-ordinated at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. The official launch of the project takes place at the Prince Hotel and Residence, Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday March 30 2010, with H.E. Vincent Piket, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU in Malaysia and YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Malaysian Minister of Higher Education, in attendance as guests of honour. Professor Sayed Azam-Ali, Vice-President (Research) at UNMC, and Project Co-ordinator, said: "This initiative is a very positive step because it brings together two key sectors, higher education and business, to identify common priorities between the EU and Malaysia. Linkages developed through MYEULINK will be ideally placed to apply for research funding through the EU Framework and other programmes." - MYEULINK will also contribute to the Government of Malaysia's vision of making the country a tertiary education hub for the region, and to the internationalisation of its higher education sector.