By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

The Liverpool Hope University (LHU) in the United Kingdom has entered into a partnership with Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to promote academic, research, and community exchanges. 

Formalizing the start of a five-year collaboration, LHU Vice Chancellor and Rector Gerald J. Pillay and MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis signed a memorandum of understanding at LHU’s Hope Park on November 4. 

Under the MOU, the two universities committed to develop and offer transnational education (TNE) and short-term courses; and to promote the Sustainable Development Goals through instruction, research, and community engagement initiatives. MMSU and LHU also agreed to conduct joint conferences, research, and capacity building activities; to share academic materials and publications; and to carry out faculty, staff and student exchanges.

President Agrupis expressed delight with the new partnership, and affirmed MMSU’s commitment to sustain the collaboration. 

For his part, Vice Chancellor and Rector Pillay thanked MMSU for choosing LHU as one of its UK partner-universities, hoping that the tie-up would open more fruitful exchanges in the future.  

The MOU signing was witnessed by two MMSU officials: Dr. Mee Jay Domingo, director for internationalization, linkages and partnership; and Dr. Saturnina Nisperos, director for futures thinking and strategic foresight. 

Also present in the event were LHU's Prof. Atulya Nagar, pro-vice-chancellor for research; Dr. Wendy Bignold, associate dean and head of residential life; and Prof. Raouf Naguib, senior lecturer of the School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. 

Immediately after the signing, MMSU and LHU officials discussed the TNE project, and the possible collaborations on the areas of sports science and food nutrition. Dr. Pillay also encouraged Dr. Agrupis to let MMSU faculty and staff apply for PhD scholarships offered by LHU. 

Earlier, MMSU signed an MOU with the University of East London to pursue international exchange programs and research collaboration in the fields of renewable energy, net zero energy, and probiotics. 

The meetings with the two UK universities form part of the UK mission visit of TNE partnership in Information Technology under the Access and Competitiveness through Internationalization of Higher Education (ACT-IHE) project of the British Council of the Philippines and the Commission on Higher Education. Led by CHED Chair J. Prospero E. De Vera and British Council Director Lotus Postrado, the mission visit is joined by five universities: MMSU, Batangas State University, Central Mindanao University, Philippine Normal University, and University of the Philippines Manila. (HLY/JVBT, StratCom)