Government of Malaysia invites Manipal Education to set up university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Manipal Education, India's leading higher education services entity with multi-country presence, today announced the setting up of Manipal International University(MIU) in Kuala Lumpur, pursuant to an invitation from the Malaysian Government. The award of the charter to start MIU was handed over by Y B Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Honourable Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia to Dr. Ramdas Pai, Chairman Emeritus - Manipal Education in the august presence of the Prime Ministers of India & Malaysia at a glittering function in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27th October 2010

Manipal International University now represents the next level of growth for Manipal Education in Malaysia after Melaka Manipal Medical College, one of the premier medical colleges in Malaysia. With planned investment of up to RM 650 million over the next five years, Manipal International University (MIU) will be a multi-disciplinary university that will cater to the needs of Malaysian students, as well as international students from ASEAN countries, North Asia, India, the Middle East and Central Asia, who are increasingly choosing Malaysia as their education destination. Over a period of time, MIU expects up to 50% of its student population to be from outside Malaysia.

MIU will commence the first batch next year. Anchored on the pillars of Engineering and Management education, MIU will provide both undergraduate (bachelor's) and post-graduate programmes in diverse disciplines including a number of engineering streams, management studies, business & commerce, law, animation & design, and hospitality & tourism. Programmes offered at the university will be designed and developed in close partnership with various industries to enable students graduating out of MIU become sought-after employees.

Commenting on the initiative His Excellency Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Honourable Minister of Higher Education - Malaysia said, "We are delighted to have Manipal Education set up the Manipal International University in Kuala Lumpur. Manipal Education is among the leading Indian higher education entities, and the expansion of the presence in Malaysia is a key outcome of the co-operation agreement in higher education signed between Malaysia & India earlier this year. Our vision is to be a major higher education hub - we already have nearly 100,000 international students studying in Malaysia, and global-class universities such as MIU will only help expand this number, with more and more students all of over the world, including South-East Asia, Asia-Pac, North Asia, Middle-East & North Africa choosing Malaysia as their preferred destination".

The setting up of Manipal International University (MIU) is in line with the 10th Malaysian Plan & Vision 2020, & policies: one, that of aligning higher education in Malaysia with NKEAs (National Key Economic Areas) so that high calibre human talent will be developed in the country and two, that of transforming Malaysia to a favoured destination for higher education, attracting students from the region and from across the world as well. This is a landmark step taken by the Malaysian government towards building a knowledge-based economy built on a strong foundation of high levels of innovation, investment and research outlay.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anand Sudarshan, MD & CEO Manipal Education said "It is an honour and a moment of great pride for us at Manipal Education to be invited by the Malaysian Government to set up MIU. It is our vision and dream to impart knowledge by providing the best education to as many individuals as we possibly can. This effort will only expand our vision into newer horizons. We have the greatest regard and respect for the Malaysian Government for having considered us for this initiative."

Manipal International University will commence its operations from an interim campus, and its permanent campus will come up within 3 years after commencement. MIU will have a strong & significant network of academic collaborations with universities from around the world, including Manipal University in India.

Over the past almost 60 years, Manipal Education has been widely regarded as one of the finest Indian Higher Education entities, and is today among the largest private higher education entities globally. It has successfully set up and operated Melaka-Manipal Medical College (MMMC) at Melaka over the last ten years demonstrating its commitment to Malaysia; over 1/5th of the doctors in Malaysia are Manipal Education Alumni. MMMC was also the first Indo-Malaysian collaborative effort in Malaysia in Higher Education. Last year it expanded its offerings by starting a dental sciences programme as well.

MIU would be characterized by Educational pedagogy and research of global standards including programmes and courses which are tailored to the needs of the Malaysian and regional industry, and outstanding infrastructure which would facilitate the creation of such an institution

Manipal Education has invested significantly in each of its campuses to provide both researchers and students state of the art facilities and an environment for research activities to flourish, a culture which it would take forward by establishing "Centres of Excellence" in MIU which would be specifically focused on research and faculty development. MIU will also have an 'Entrepreneurial Development Centre' which would build the foundation for fostering a stronger entrepreneurial ethos in Malaysia and in the region; and will create, over a period of time, the infrastructure and network to incubate entrepreneurial initiatives.

Manipal Education is an acknowledged leader in innovative & long-term relationships and partnerships with industry and enterprises across multiple sectors - this is a key strength given Malaysia's vision and plans for next generation of growth of its economy & various key sectors. Manipal Education has also driven global collaboration with other reputed universities with almost one hundred agreements currently. Most of the partner universities are among the highest rated universities globally and include the likes of University of Nottingham, University of Melbourne, University of Birmingham, University of Virginia among others.