Universiti Malaya (UM) and the ABB Jürgen Dormann Foundation (JDF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 3 September 2020 to extend their collaboration which will enable academically outstanding students from low-income families to achieve their engineering ambition. Renewal of the original agreement signed in 2011 will see the collaboration being extended by an additional five years.
The MoU underpins ABB’s commitment to support underprivileged students and to grow Malaysia’s talent pool as the country pushes ahead for Industry 4.0. Representing UM at the signing ceremony were Datuk Ir. (Dr.) Abdul Rahim Haji Hashim, Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Dr. Saad Mekhilef, Dean, Faculty of Engineering while ABB was represented by R. Narayanan, Country Managing Director, Malaysia.
As part of the renewed agreement, ABB JDF will offer three new scholarships per academic year up to a maximum of 12 running scholarships at UM. Selected students will receive RM15,000 per annum for the entire duration of their course, up to a maximum of four years. First year students will also receive an additional RM3,000 for the purchase of computer equipment and software to help them prepare and perform better in class.
In addition to the annual stipend, scholars will also receive the support of an ABB mentor who will be available to help them through the challenges of higher education. Finding someone who has experienced the same challenges can help them become more comfortable and adjusted in the college environment. They will also have the opportunity to experience ABB’s technology and work culture as part of an internship program under the scholarship agreement.
The UM Vice-Chancellor conveyed his gratitude to ABB JDF for their continued trust in UM and believes that UM together with ABB JDF will be able to achieve more in producing world-class engineering talents which will serve the country in a competitive new era.
