The Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand inked ties on May 16, 2023 to cooperate on initiatives that promote agriculture and rural development in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio and AIT Vice President for Academics Prof. Shobhakar Dhakal, the two institutions intend to promote collaboration in undertaking education, training, research programs, projects and activities.
Gregorio said the signing of the agreement marks an important milestone in the partnership between AIT and SEARCA and sets the stage for a fruitful collaboration that will benefit the ASEAN region.
Expressing his enthusiasm for institutional cooperation, Dhakal said "the partnership between SEARCA and AIT has potential broad linkage opportunities, including scholarships, training programs and policy development.''
"We could even co-organize a roundtable discussion here in AIT, and maximize our network to make sure that the event will be well-attended and impactful," he added.
For SEARCA, Gregorio affirmed the synergy of complementing priority areas of both SEARCA and AIT, adding that while AIT is focused on technology and engineering, SEARCA is focused on agriculture.
"But actually, we are integrating technology in agriculture to upgrade and address challenges of farming practices. This is one area of possible collaboration between our institutions," he explained.
AIT is a postgraduate institution that offers academic and research programs in engineering, environment and management studies
Based in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, Thailand, AIT focuses on global connections, innovation, industry relevance and entrepreneurship. It also prepares its multicultural community of students for leadership roles and professional success in Asia and beyond.
Meanwhile, SEARCA has a priority focus on promoting a transformational leadership mindset among stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including its scholars, training participants and other beneficiaries of its formal education.
This also includes capacity-building initiatives such as workshops, seminars and training programs focusing on leadership development, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement.
"Our end goal is to help build a new generation of leaders who are committed to promoting innovation and sustainability in the agricultural sector," Gregorio said.
At the meeting, SEARCA and AIT officials and staff also discussed capacity-building programs, joint research and innovation projects, conferences and workshops, and the exchange of experts in fields of mutual interest as many areas of possible collaboration.
The AIT delegation also expressed interest in exploring the possibility of becoming eligible for membership in the SEARCA-initiated Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).
UC was established in 1989 as a network of strong universities in Southeast Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Canada and Germany with the University of the Philippines Los Baños-headquartered SEARCA serving as the UC Secretariat.