Malaysia, Jordan to collaborate on 141 research projects

AMMAN — Education Malaysia Jordan (EMJ), an agency at the embassy of Malaysia in Amman has facilitated a research collaboration on 141 research projects between universities in Malaysia and Jordan. This collaboration aims to foster innovation and knowledge exchange in all social and applied sciences areas, according to a statement for The Jordan Times.

A total of 423 research proposals have been received since applications opened last February, 2024. The 141 successful applications involved 10 universities in Malaysia and 14 in Jordan.

Universiti Teknologi MARA recorded the highest number of successful applications with 52 research projects, followed by the National University of Malaysia with 33 research projects, and Multimedia University with 18 research projects while the University of Jordan became the largest research partner in Jordan with 19 research projects, followed by German Jordanian University with 17 research projects, and Middle East University and Isra University with 15 research projects each, the statement said.

Ambassador of Malaysia to Jordan, Mohamad Nasri Abdul Rahman, commented on this landmark initiative: "This collaboration marks a new chapter in the academic relationship between Malaysia and Jordan. It is a testament to our shared commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering innovation across borders.”

Adding to this, the Minister Counselor (Education), Radzuwan Ab Rashid highlighted, “The Malaysia-Jordan Matching Grant initiative is pivotal in creating impactful research that addresses global challenges. Expanding the research fields to include both Social and Applied Sciences for this round reflects our dedication to contributing to different aspects of life that have direct benefits to society. We encourage all Jordanian Universities to establish strong bonds with Malaysian Universities in research and development.”

Malaysian universities involved in this initiative are among the top universities in the world, based on the QS and THE World Ranking 2025, the statement said.

These research projects are part of the second round of the Malaysia-Jordan Matching Grant initiative led by EMJ. The first round, launched in 2022, focused on Applied Sciences and has already seen promising results.

The second round of this collaboration will culminate in signing Memorandums of Agreement between the participating Malaysian and Jordanian universities, formalising their commitment to joint research and development.