STOU, Thailand & APU Collaboration Focuses on Research and UNESCO Chair Projects

Both universities will create a joint exclusive team aimed at harnessing cross-border research, providing funding for conferences and grants, fostering industry partnerships, building a solid ecosystem, and providing mentorship and support in research and development (R&D).

From left: Assistant Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Prof. Dr. Ho Chin Kuan and Prof. Ts. Dr. Murali Raman at the signing ceremony.

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), Thailand’s royal charter eleventh state university, and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) announced an exciting collaboration to create a joint exclusive team aimed at harnessing cross-border research, providing funding for conferences and grants, fostering industry partnerships, building a solid ecosystem, and providing mentorship and support in research and development (R&D).

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by STOU Acting President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa and APU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ho Chin Kuan witnessed by STOU Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation, and International Affairs Assistant Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan and APU Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Ts. Dr. Murali Raman.

STOU Head of International Affairs Mr Rattip Phukkeson, APU Senior Director, Admin & Human Resources Dr Teh Choon Jin, and APU Senior Lecturer/Programme Manager, Digital Learning Hub Ts. Jonathan JS Kovilpillai also attended the ceremony.

Both higher education institutions will develop specialised programmes that foster a collaborative research culture and an environment that encourages students and faculty members to collaborate on joint outputs such as conferences and International Journal papers through this collaboration.

The MoU will also allow APU’s Digital Learning Hub and STOU to collaborate on collaborative research efforts under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair partnership framework, which will be spearheaded by APU Digital Learning Hub Director and UNESCO Chair Lead Prof. Dr. Abtar Kaur Darshan Singh.

Prof. Dr. Abtar is Malaysia’s first academic to be appointed to the prestigious position of UNESCO Chair on Harnessing Innovations in Technology to Support Teachers and Quality Learning.

STOU has graduated 169,798 undergraduates and 3,186 postgraduates from its 12 schools of study, which include Law, Communications Arts, Human Ecology, Political Science, Management Science, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Education, Economics, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Science and Technology, and Nursing.

“STOU not only mitigates these concerns, but also offsets its emissions through verifiable collaborations, and we are immensely proud of our partnership with APU. We are taking a stand for a sustainable future by delivering our capability and providing our students with cutting-edge advanced technology and innovation that aligns with our values,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit.

“APU is thrilled to collaborate with STOU to leverage technology for greater access and equity in higher education. Together, we will work towards creating innovative solutions that enable more learners to achieve their academic aspirations, regardless of their background or location,” remarked Prof. Dr. Ho.

This collaboration will strengthen both universities’ R&D, especially in the fields of technology and innovation.

Going beyond helping students attain success, APU instils a growth mindset in its students, inspiring them to continuously think forward as entrepreneurs and preparing them for employment in a disruptive, globalised world of business and technology.

“Our strategy extends beyond providing cutting-edge technologies and specialised programmes to develop a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit among our students from all over the world, supported by our research outcomes.

“Our staff members will collaborate on joint research papers in the main areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to ‘Teaching and Learning’ as a result of our collaboration. We are convinced that working with STOU will become an aspiration, boosting our research to new heights,” said Prof. Ts. Dr. Murali.

The two parties also discussed conference partnership for the International Conference of Digital Business Society and Economy (ICDBSE) 2023, which will be held on 24th and 25th October 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organised by APU and its co-organiser STOU (Thailand), Chitkara University (India), and The bbw Hochschule-University of Applied Sciences (Germany).

This conference promises to be an exciting and informative event, bringing together experts and enthusiasts from around the world to share their ideas, research, and insights into the impact of digital technologies on business and society.

With a diverse range of keynote speeches, presentations, and panel discussions, we aim to explore the many different facets of digital business and society, including its impact on innovation, entrepreneurship, governance, and ethics.