UMPSA targets high-impact partnerships with Canadian education and industry

GAMBANG, 28 July 2026 - Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) is advancing its internationalisation agenda by seeking high-impact partnerships with Canadian educational institutions and industry, following an official visit by a delegation from the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia.

The delegation, led by Eric Pelletier, Senior Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia, was welcomed at UMPSA Paya Besar by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Rusllim Mohamed, who is also performing the duties of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), together with members of the university's senior management.

The visit provided an important platform for strengthening bilateral ties between UMPSA and Canada and exploring strategic opportunities in higher education, research, innovation, technology development, trade and human capital development.

In his welcoming address, Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Rusllim said Canada was renowned for excellence in education and innovation, as well as for openness and cultural diversity - values shared by UMPSA in its mission to produce competent, competitive and globally minded graduates.

He said the visit was more than an encounter between institutions; it was an opportunity to forge closer connections among academics, researchers, students and industry partners.

"Collaboration is about more than institutions, agreements or official documents.

"Genuine collaboration is about people sharing ideas, experience and expertise to create new opportunities in education, research and innovation.

"UMPSA believes that every international partnership should deliver a tangible impact on the university's development by enriching students' learning experiences, strengthening research, expanding industry networks and contributing to society," he said.

As a technology-focused university, UMPSA has established strengths in engineering, technology, advanced TVET, applied research, innovation and industry collaboration. These areas underpin the development of both the university and the nation.

UMPSA therefore sees considerable potential to expand strategic links with Canadian universities, research institutions, government agencies and companies through student and staff mobility, joint academic programmes, collaborative research, industry-based education, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Rusllim noted that UMPSA's ties with Canada had already been developing for many years through academic and research networks.

Eight UMPSA lecturers currently hold doctorates from leading Canadian universities: five graduated from the University of Waterloo, while the others studied at the University of Alberta, McMaster University and the University of British Columbia.

He said the academic experience and research networks they brought home had helped strengthen ties between UMPSA and Canadian higher education institutions, creating further opportunities for future collaboration.

The relationship was further reinforced by UMPSA's participation in the 2025 Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Conference and by a UMPSA doctoral student undertaking a research attachment at the University of Waterloo through the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) programme.

This year, UMPSA also hosted a delegation from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to discuss potential collaboration in technical education and skills training.

These developments, he said, showed that a foundation for UMPSA-Canada collaboration was already in place and ready to be strengthened through more structured, sustainable and high-impact initiatives.

Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd Rusllim thanked Eric Pelletier and the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia for their commitment to connecting educational institutions, industry, research, trade and investment across the two countries.

He expressed hope that the visit would lead to further strategic partnerships extending beyond student and academic exchanges to joint research, technology transfer, innovation, talent development and industry collaboration for the benefit of both countries.

"A strong partnership does not necessarily begin with a large-scale agreement.

"It can begin with a conversation, a student exchange, a research project or a professional connection that eventually develops into a long-term collaboration.

"What matters is that we take the first step and continue building trust," he said.

He hoped the discussions would open the way for new initiatives that strengthened UMPSA's standing as a global technology university while advancing higher education, research and innovation with an international impact on society and industry.

By: Naqiah Puaad, Centre for Corporate Communications
Translation by: aminatul nor mohamed said, UMPSA career centre