On 26 February – 1 March 2024, Dr. Nichan Singhaputargun, Acting Head of the Global Relations Division and Ms. Warunee Kaewbunruang, Administrative Officer of the Global Relations Division attended the 19th ASEAN-European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET) hosted by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia. This plenary meeting brought together over 100 participants from more than 90 universities across 16 countries. The event was a testament to the commitment of these institutions to global collaboration and academic excellence.
During the plenary meeting, Dr. Nichan Singhaputargun presented MFU's readiness to become a full member of the network, focusing on the well-being and sustainable future framework. Finally, MFU was elected to become a full member of ASEA-UNINET. This significant milestone marks the beginning of a collaborative journey aiming at fostering innovation and facilitating knowledge exchange.
The ASEAN – European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET) is a network of universities, consisting of European and South-East Asian universities with the goal of promoting the continuous internationalization of education and research. ASEA-UNINET was founded in 1994 by universities from Austria, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam as Austrian-South-East Asian University Network and today consists of more than 90 universities from 16 different countries.
More than 80 bilateral and multilateral ASEA-UNINET research projects, ranging from Natural sciences, Technologies, Economics, Social Sciences and Human Sciences to Medicine and Pharmacy, are conducted every year. Joint research labs in different academic areas have formed over the years and new ones are started. Furthermore, PhD and Post-Doc scholarships are granted to students and researchers. In addition, international workshops, conferences, summer/winter schools as well as networking events are organized on a regular basis, the latter often in close cooperation with embassies and representatives of politics and economy.
All in all, attending this ASEA-UNINET plenary meeting was a valuable opportunity for MFU representatives to exchange best practices and discuss concrete academic cooperation with member universities in order to enhance the University's academic and research excellence.
