By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Ikhwan Hashim

BANGI,  5 Nov 2015 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the   Université de Franche-Comté (UFC) of France will conduct joint research and technological collaboration in field of Micro-engineering and Nano-electronics.

Both universities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for such a purpose here today, in which UKM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and  International Affairs) Prof Dato’ Dr. Ir. Riza Atiq OK Rahmat and UFC Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Lamine Boukbakar represented their respective parties.

The signing was witnessed by the Director of the Institute of Micro-engineering and Nano-electronics (IMEN) Prof Dato’ Dr. Burhanuddin Yeop Majlis and the Director of Institute of UFC Optical Electronic, Mechanical and Thermal technologies (CNRS FEMTO-ST) Prof Nicholas Chaillet.

Research at IMEN aims to develop enabling technologies and systems for strategic applications and excel in research in advanced micro and nano-electronics, MEMS and micro-sensor technology, organic electronics, photonics and Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) technology.

In his welcoming remarks before the signing, Prof Riza Atiq said the partnership with UFC is another milestone in the relationship of IMEN with various international collaborators.

He also pointed out that Prof Burhanuddin was often invited to advice the government on nano-technology.

He noted that IMEN already have strong links with the Seoul National University and Kyungpook University in South Korea and Kyoto University in Japan.

Prof Boubakar described UFC as a French university internationally renowned for the CNRS FEMTO-ST with its expertise in numerous fields, including physics, optics, mechanics, time-frequency, microsystems and nanotechnology.