KOTA KINABALU: University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIE) Bulungan Tarakan, North Kalimantan.
Delegates from STIE travelled to UCSF’s main campus in Kota Kinabalu for the signing ceremony, which emphasises the institutions’ commitment to fostering collaboration.
The MoU focuses on enhancing student exchange programs, visiting scholar initiatives, research collaborations, and various forms of academic partnerships.
The signing was attended by Datuk Asnimar, a member of the Board of Governors, among others, highlighting a strengthened commitment to building ties between universities in Sabah and Kalimantan.
Both regions are parts of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). The event drew over 100 attendees.
Following the MoU signing, the International Seminar on “The Relocation of Indonesia’s Capital City: Potential Impact, Issues, and Way Forward” took place. This seminar was co-organised by UCSF and STIE Bulungan Tarakan.
Meanwhile, Dr. Marso hopes that the results of the collaboration between these two higher education institutions can be used as input for stakeholders and policymakers to achieve the vision of ASEAN in general, and specifically the vision of BIMP-EAGA and SOSEKMALINDO.
Apart from that, managing the potential of the Heart of Borneo area as an ecotourism destination is also the research focus of this collaboration in order to realise a “single tourism destination” as one of the strategic programs initiated in the BIMP-EAGA document.
According to UCSF Vice Chancellor Datuk Dr. Rafiq Idris, UCSF is looking forward to increased academic partnership with universities in Kalimantan, such as with STIE, one of the higher education institutions in North Kalimantan.
North Kalimantan is our immediate neighbour in Tawau, and North Kalimantan itself shares a common border with East Kalimantan, where the new capital city of Indonesia, Nusantara, is located. Picture caption: Datuk Dr. Rafiq and Dr. Marso exchanging MOU documents after the MOU signing.
