Within one of the constant efforts of Erbil Polytechnic University to strengthen relationship with international academic institutions and further enhance internationalization strategy, a delegation from EPU headed by professor assistant Dr. Jawdat Jaffar Khatab, vice president for administrative affairs, Dr. Bahat Hassib Ali, lecturer in technical media department and Dr. Abdullah Omar Yassen, the head of cultural relations unit in the directorate of international office visited Malaysia during 30th August till 6th September 2019. The purpose behind this visit was to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and to meet with the organizing committee of the collaborative of the second international conference on social transformation and regional development (ICoSTRD2020) between EPU and UTHM in order to discuss the outstanding issues related to the conference which will be held on 4th and 5th of February 2020.
The vice chancellor of the UTHM and vice president of the EPU emphasized on the importance of collaboration between the two universities in order to implement the strategy of internationalization, enhance the reputation of both universities, and explore the marketing of both universities to recruit international students and staff. As a representative of the international office of EPU, Dr. Abdulla Omer Yassen, had another meeting with UTHM director and the head of students’ mobility program from international office to discuss the possibility of exchanging students and staff. Both parties showed the willingness to start the process and have arranged to blueprint the programs and implement the agreed-upon points in the MOU.
The visit is the start of a number of projects that both universities have agreed to work on in the nearest future to further strengthen the academic relationships between the two universities.