1. Working in partnership
Edinburgh, 21 March 2019
Case study: university of Strathclyde higher education partnerships (HEP)
Good morning, I’m Andrew Hamilton and I’m from the University of Strathclyde. Today I’m going to briefly present the collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and the British Council in Malaysia on Higher Education Partnerships. I’d like to thank the British Council for extending the invitation to today’s event and for giving me the opportunity to present today.

2. UK-Malaysia HE PARTNERSHIPS programme with strathclyde
My talk today is largely based on the event held by the British Council in Putrajaya in Malaysia on the 14th of February this year that brought together UK and Malaysian higher education institutes, along with the Malaysian Ministry of Education.
UK and Malaysian universities together with representatives from the Malaysian Ministry of Education and other agencies during the partnership planning meeting in Kuala Lumpur on 14 and 15 February 2019.

3. WHY: CONTEXT
Alignment with priorities of the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MoE) through the HE Blueprint
Showcasing and sharing UK expertise on commercializing technology from universities
UK-Malaysia HEP Programme to Enhance Sustainability of Technology Transfer
Building on British Council’s experience on developing capacity in research management in Malaysia
So, the context. As part of a broader regional Higher Education Partnerships Programme, the British Council in Malaysia, in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, designed a bespoke initiative to facilitate mutually beneficial partnership activities between selected UK and Malaysia Higher Education institutes, with the focus of technology transfer. The field of technology transfer was selected to align with the 7th shift in the Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint which states Malaysia’s aspiration to make innovation a major driver of national economic growth. UK higher education institutes have also amassed expertise on commercialising technology from Universities through various methods. The initiative also builds upon the previous work undertaken in research management and governance under Malaysia’s Newton Programme.

4. WHAT: PARTNERSHIP MODEL
Builds on existing strengths of UK and Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs), and is aligned with the current research landscape in Malaysia.
UK and Malaysian HEIs explore mutually beneficial sector-based themes to develop strategic partnerships that develop capacity in the area of technology transfer.
Partnership activities are co-developed by UK and Malaysian HEIs, with the aim to expand and diversify the respective internationalisation agendas.
Co-created with the Malaysian MoE, with input from other key stakeholders to ensure buy-in and support for sustainability of the programme.
Funded by the British Council with in-kind sponsorship from the MoE.
British Council manages the project, works in consultation with Malaysian MoE and other agencies and brokers partnership with UK HEIs.
The partnership model builds on existing strengths of UK and Malaysian higher education institutes in this area. Partnership activities are co-developed by UK and Malaysian HE institutes, with the broader aim to expand and diversify the respective internationalisation agendas. The programme is co-created with the Malaysian Ministry of Education with input from key stakeholders to ensure buy-in and support for the sustainability of the programme. Funding and project management comes from the British Council with in-kind sponsorship from the Ministry of Education.

5. RFP EOI Platforms HOW: engagement
Request for Proposals from UK experts, to conduct a scoping study on tech transfer landscape.
Research Consulting Ltd was contracted through this process, and a scoping study was undertaken.
RFP
Call for Expressions of Interest from UK HEIs to participate in a Partnership Planning Workshop with Malaysian HEIs and stakeholders.
18 UK HEIs responded, and 10 were selected to participate in the inaugural workshop in Feb 2019.
EOI
Promoting the UK-Malaysia partnership opportunities through various platforms (British Council website, IES portal, ACU network)
Reaching out to university contacts who have indicated an interest in working with Malaysian HEIs in research and industry collaborations.
Platforms
So how did the partnership come about? A scoping study on technology transfer in UK and Malaysian HE institutes was commissioned through a Request for Proposals process. In December 2018, the British Council issued a call for expressions of interest from UK universities to share their good practices and expertise in technology transfer in Malaysia. All the opportunities for partnerships are shared on various platforms and through existing regional networks and contacts.

6. What? Benefits and outcomes
10 UK and 24 Malaysian HEIs participated in a 2-day Partnership Planning Workshop convened by the British Council in Malaysia, with key stakeholders from Malaysian MoE and other relevant ministries and agencies.
Platform for UK and Malaysian HEIs to explore sector-based or thematic approaches that support research and technology transfer collaborations, based on strengths and assets within the respective institutions.
Building on the networks developed through participation in this recent workshop, the University of Strathclyde is currently:
expecting a delegation from Universiti Teknologi Mara headed by Dr Noorita Tahir to visit the University for a short workshop on the 28th March to further look at tech transfer and fostering links
progressing with a joint agritech research proposal with Dr Goh Hock Guan of UTAR
commencing initial investigations into a potential PhD studentship at Strathclyde for a student of Dr Syamimi Binti Shamsuddin (MoE) in the field of aerospace composites
The initiative provided a platform for 10 UK and 24 Malaysian HEIs to explore sector-based or thematic approaches that support research and technology transfer collaborations, based on strengths and assets within the respective institutions, with potential to develop broader strategic linkages. Building on the networks developed through participation in this recent workshop, the University of Strathclyde is currently following up on several partnership opportunities. These include 2 joint funding applications between Strathclyde and UTAR, a workshop session at Strathclyde with visitors from UiTM next week and an investigation into a jointly funded PhD studentship between University of Malaya and Strathclyde in the area of applied composite manufacturing

7. Strathclyde HE Partnerships in Thailand and vietnam
One of the 8 UK universities who joined the British Council initiated TNE Partnership development project in Thailand in 2016.
Successfully developed two TNE programmes with Mahidol University with 50 students studying Biomedical Engineering and 20 studying Chemical Engineering. Students have an option to go to study at University of Strathclyde for two years.
TNE Partnership Development Year 1 was initiated by British Council Thailand to advocate the TNE policy and regulations and enhance more opportunities for Thai and UK universities to develop a sustainable TNE programme.
Collaboratively developed and endorsed by Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) and the nine national research universities in Thailand.
Has consistently maintained a relationship with Thai universities particularly in research, through the researcher links programme.
Vietnam
University of Strathclyde and the Hanoi University of Science and Technology conducted exchanges of researchers and academic staff under the British Council’s Newton Fund to promote collaboration between UK and Vietnamese HEI.
Finally, the University Strathclyde has other partnerships with South-East Asia Higher Education Institutes through different British Council programmes. Most notably, Strathclyde is one of 8 UK universities in the British Council initiated Transnational Education Partnership development project in Thailand in 2016, to advocate TNE policy and regulations and enhance opportunities for Thai and UK universities. This lead to the successful creation of two TNE programmes with Mahidol University in which there collaboration agreements in place at the engineering faculty level that covers joint supervision, undergraduate programme alignment and post-graduate programmes. Strathclyde also created a successful partnership with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam under the British Councils Newton Fund which aims to promote the exchange of researchers and academic staff to encourage collaborative projects between UK and Vietnamese Higher Education.