A professor from the University of Guelph (UofG) and her student visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 26 March 2025 to explore potential areas for collaboration. UofG is a comprehensive public research university located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Helen Hambly, a professor at the UofG Capacity Development and Extension Office, and Mr. Francis Jabile, a master's student, presented several funding opportunities available to Southeast Asian countries. These opportunities emphasize nature-based solutions and socially inclusive approaches.
Dr. Hambly elaborated that UofG actively supports research projects related to food security, agriculture, and sustainable development. She noted the university's significant role in facilitating knowledge exchange and proposal development, particularly for initiatives focused on Southeast Asia.
Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, SEARCA Senior Program Head of the Education and Collective Learning Department, and Ms. Sharon Malaiba, SEARCA Unit Head for Partnerships, briefed the visitors on the Center's mandate and core programs. They introduced the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) wherein SEARCA serves as the Secretariat.
"UC is one of the highly sought-after networks in the graduate education level because of its proven track record in providing high-quality formal and non-formal education activities," Dr. Cuaresma explained.
The UC links strong universities in the region and offers high-quality education in agriculture, environment, and natural resources. At present, the UC has nine regular members, including Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and Universitas Brawijaya (UB), all from Indonesia; Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); Kasetsart University (KU) and Maejo University (MJU), both from Thailand; and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Visayas State University (VSU), and Central Luzon State University (CLSU), all from the Philippines. UC also has Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) in Japan and National Taiwan University (NTU) as associate members; and has five affiliate members, namely, Central Mindanao University (CMU) in the Philippines, Georg-August University Göttingen in Germany, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University, all in Canada.
The meeting concluded with the prospect of signing a memorandum of understanding between SEARCA and UofG to further advance agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia.