Joint centre launched with top Malaysian university
Keele University's strong ties with a prestigious Malaysian university have taken a significant step forward with the launch of a new joint centre to support research and education.
Officials from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which ranked in the top 15 globally in The Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2025, visited Keele to officially launch the new Keele-USM Centre and the establishment of a Dual PhD programme, enabling doctoral students to obtain a PhD from both institutions.
The two universities have been working together since 2012 and signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding last year that will see them continue to foster collaborative work and research.
Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, described the launch of the centre as a 'significant milestone' in deepening collaboration between the two universities.
He said: "The two universities have built a trusted, long-standing partnership over more than a decade, primarily led by the School of Life Sciences. Since 2023, the partnership has evolved into a Faculty of Natural Sciences-wide and institutionally integrated collaboration, and both sides are very keen to continue working closely together.
"We both have campus environments where research and education sit alongside and mutually support each other, particularly around the idea of sustainability. There are some great enthusiasts at both universities for building the relationship which bodes well for the future."
The Keele-USM Centre has dual leadership from both universities and will coordinate and integrate research, education and mobility across Schools, support international student recruitment and enable joint funding bids. The first grant application from the centre was submitted in July involving a collaborative proposal between the School of Life Sciences, School of Computer Science and USM’s Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine.
The first intake to the dual PhD programme will be next month and will see students spending time at both universities as part of their studies.
