Developing sustainable rail and seaport infrastructure with Malaysian universities

Pictured from left to right: Professor Mohd Mustafa (UniMAP), Professor Mike Riley (LJMU), Dr Ana Bras (LJMU), Dr Mohd Arif Anuar (UniMAP)

LJMU is strengthening its collaboration with Malaysian universities by expanding its research and skills development partnerships into the realm of sustainable and resilient rail and seaports infrastructure.

Academics at LJMU are driving forward the partnership, having invited Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) together with Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTEM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) to take part.

Dr Ana Bras takes the lead for LJMU and the UK

The project is led by Dr Ana Bras, Reader in bio-materials for infrastructure with the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment at LJMU, and by Professor Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah from UniMAP, Malaysia.

Together they have established a consortium - Network4Training&Research - a collaborative capacity building network for training and research for rails and seaports infrastructure industry development aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The project vision is to establish the UK-Malaysia Collaborative Network, improving transnational cooperation and synergies between UK and Malaysia partners, to foster innovation and competitiveness of sustainable rail and seaports infrastructure technologies.

Network4Training&Research projects and aims

Network4Training&Research will work with agencies and industries for industry and research driven approaches, with a series of targeted projects co-designed and co-funded by the industry in the UK and Malaysia.

It will attract, develop, and retain excellent talent through specialised pathways for researchers, educators, leaders, and practitioners.

This consortium will provide PhD and MSc students, from the UK and Malaysia, with multiple competencies and skills based on partnerships and industry driven research approaches, consolidating activities on:

1. reducing waste, and increasing resource efficiency in rail and seaport infrastructure development;
2. enhancing the functionalities, operation and management in rail and seaport, towards the United Nation's SDGs 9, 11, 13; and
3. supporting the green and digital transformations for leadership in the circular economy that strengthens cross-sectorial cooperation along the value chain.

UK Malaysia University Consortium

This latest international knowledge exchange exercise builds upon the existing relationships fostered by LJMU under the UK Malaysia University Consortium.

This collaboration enhances mutual understanding at a global scale by nurturing international higher education in terms of teaching and learning, research and exchange of knowledge between the UK and Malaysia.