Yesterday morning, Thursday, July 4th, 2024, during a visit by a delegation from Gulf Colleges to the Federation of Malaysia, a cooperation agreement was signed between Gulf Colleges and the National University of Malaysia (UKM). The agreement was sponsored and signed by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Dhafir Al-Dosari, the General Supervisor of Gulf Colleges, and was also endorsed by His Excellency Professor Datuk Mohamad Ikhwan, the President of UKM, represented by Professor Datuk Wan Kamal, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UKM.

One of the key provisions of the agreement includes collaboration in research and publications, organizing joint international scientific conferences (with the first scheduled for October of the current year), offering dual degree programs between Gulf Colleges and UKM, facilitating student exchange programs allowing students to study courses and attend classes in Malaysia, hosting visiting faculty exchange programs, cooperating in patent applications, and exchanging knowledge and experiences on best academic practices, management procedures, and quality assurance.

The delegation from Gulf Colleges, represented by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Dhafir Al-Dosari, General Supervisor, and His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Saad Al-Harbi, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, also visited several facilities of the university such as the College of Engineering, College of Computing, and the Institute of Climate Change. They toured various scientific laboratories and reviewed advanced Malaysian expertise. This visit aimed to launch new academic programs following the colleges' move to their new campus in Al-Azizia district, focusing on new engineering, computer science, and health specialties at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Professor Datuk Wan Kamal, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UKM, welcomed the partnership with Gulf Colleges, marking the first academic collaboration of UKM with a Saudi university or college. He expressed optimism about the numerous academic and research benefits that will result from the cooperation agreement between the two parties. In response, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Dhafir Al-Dosari expressed his satisfaction with the warm reception and looked forward to a distinguished partnership with UKM across all academic and research domains, with implementation expected in the near future.

The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Samir bin Salem Al-Bouri, Director of the International Cooperation Office from Gulf Colleges, and from the Malaysian side, Dr. Zaini Sakawi, Dean of the Institute of Climate Change, along with deans from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Law, and Business Administration, as well as several international relations specialists and faculty members and staff from the university. It's worth noting that the National University of Malaysia (UKM) ranks second among Malaysian universities and 138th globally in the QS World University Rankings.