From December 9-13, 2024, Prof. Plamen Zahariev, Prof. Georgi Hristov, and Assoc. Prof. Nina Bencheva from the Department of Telecommunications at University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev” participated in an Erasmus+ mobility program at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), the leading university in Malaysia. It is also the number one private university in East Asia.
The academic mobility program was conducted under a bilateral agreement within the Erasmus+ framework, coordinated by the Department of Telecommunications, and is a result of long-standing cooperation between University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev” and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.
Key Activities During the Visit:
- Presentation of University of Ruse and UTP Collaboration:
- The visiting professors presented information about the University of Ruse, the Center of Excellence UNITe, and the “Scientific University of Ruse” Project to their hosts. They also discussed the opportunities for conducting various educational and scientific activities at University of Ruse, the Faculty of EEA, and the Department of Telecommunications.
- Lectures on 3D Technologies and Cybersecurity:
- The guests delivered lectures on topics related to 3D technologies and cybersecurity to students and PhD candidates at UTP. They also participated in training sessions organized by their hosts.
- Meetings with UTP Academic Leadership:
- The official part of the visit included meetings with the academic leadership of UTP, including the Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir Ts Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib, Deputy Chancellor Prof. Ir Dr. Hilmi Mukhtar, and representatives from several faculties and departments.
- Exploration of UTP Research Centers and Laboratories:
- The guests visited several state-of-the-art research centers and laboratories at UTP, including:
- Centre for Academic Excellence (CAdEx) and Technology Enhanced Active Learning Classrooms (TEAL);
- Centre for Research in Data Science (CeRDaS);
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR);
- Centre for Students Development (CSD);
- PER5ONA – University’s research laboratory in 5G communications;
- Various laboratories in energy efficiency, artificial intelligence, network technologies, electrical engineering, and telecommunications.
- The guests visited several state-of-the-art research centers and laboratories at UTP, including:
- Discussions on Future Collaboration:
- The guests and hosts discussed opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two universities through various forms of student and PhD training, joint publications, and participation in projects.
- So far, four PhD students and one undergraduate student from UTP have participated in training at University of Ruse, with two more expected to join in the next academic year.
- A group of four professors from UTP is expected to visit University of Ruse in May 2025 for a short-term academic mobility program. This will be the second such group, bringing the total number of UTP faculty members who have visited University of Ruse to seven.
