By Asmahanim Amir
Pictures by Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 9 August 2019 – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), German have pioneered the first dual degree in the undergraduate engineering programme in 2004.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC), Industry and Community Partnership, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Imran Ho Abdullah said since 2004, 182 successful alumni have graduated from the programme and the programme can be considered as the longest running dual degree engineering programme in Malaysia.

“For this year (2019), we are expecting to send another 23 students to UDE for their final year in Germany. Our long-established partnership with UDE has been the model of successful comprehensive academic cooperation from undergraduate all the way to Ph.D level,” he said while delivering his speech at the ceremony of Celebrating 20^th Years of Cooperation between UKM and UCE, recently.

Since 2004, UKM has been receiving 256 exchange Bachelor and Master students from UDE and this September, another 33 UDE students are coming to spend a semester at UKM.

“The dual degree programme, PRomISE had produced four doctoral graduates and has now another three scholars who are pursuing the programme.

In ensuring that the partnership is strengthened, UDE liaison office is established at UKM, known as UKM-Mercator Office in 2002 and another setup is established in 2010 to further aimst of the process of recruiting the scholar, research activities and staff development.

The success of the collaboration has further being maintained via a joint international seminar on Future Automotive Technology which brings together experts from UKM and UDE, that was conducted in February 2019. Moving forward, both institutions are looking into the joint grant application, joint research labs and students’ research attachment at both universities.

Also present the event are DVC Academic and International, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd Marzuki Mustafa, DVC Research and Innovation, Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Abdul Wahab Mohammad, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Prof. Ir. Dr. Shahrir Abdullah, Dean of Faculty of Engineering UDE, Prof. Dr. -Ing. Dieter Schramm.