Tuesday, 17 August 2021
The University of Nottingham today confirmed its intention to buy out its joint venture partners in the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) to secure the long-term future of the University in the region and the 650 jobs and 5,200 students on its Malaysian campus.
Following a successful partnership of more than 20 years, in a deal with an estimated value of £23.5 million, the University will buy out its Malaysian partner Boustead Holdings Berhad (BHB), through a wholly-owned Malaysian subsidiary, to run UNM as the majority shareholder.
The purchase presents UNM with exciting opportunities to continue to deliver high quality British education globally, expand international research partnerships and extend operations in Malaysia and the ASEAN region. The transition to majority ownership by the University of Nottingham will commence in the autumn.
University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said:
“Having recently celebrated 20 years of delivering world-leading research and education in Malaysia, we are looking forward to building the next 20 years of student success, research achievements and commitment to our global presence and impact.
“With demand for higher education in the ASEAN region expected to increase significantly in the coming years, majority ownership of the UNM campus creates the potential for us to provide high quality UK tertiary education to a region which is home to one in 11 of the world’s 15- to 24-year-olds and demonstrates significant appetite to expand its higher education provision.
The University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West
“Together with the University’s other global campus in Ningbo, China, where we educate some 8,000 students each year, this will underscore the University’s position as the UK’s truly global university. Nottingham represents the excellence, entrepreneurialism and global engagement that characterises the very best of British universities. This bold investment in our Malaysia campus will help secure our continued success and contribute to that of the UK as it forges its place on the global stage in a post-pandemic world.
“Our commitment to UNM and to Malaysia remains as strong as ever. This purchase will allow us to build on excellent foundations in teaching and research to develop new, innovative teaching programmes and research that supports sustainable development locally, regionally and globally. Degree courses and staff jobs at UNM will be secured for the long-term, and we are developing new strategies to chart our future in Malaysia with the same passion for education in the country that we have had since the start of the century.”
Boustead Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Mohammed Shazalli Ramly said “By placing UNM under the full stewardship of the University of Nottingham, we trust that UNM will continue to accomplish great things in the future. The University of Nottingham is an esteemed global institution and we extend our best wishes for all the upcoming endeavours of UNM.”
The creation of UNM in September 2000 is considered the first ever branch campus of a British university to be established outside of the UK, starting with a small cohort of 89 students in Kuala Lumpur. In 2005, the University relocated to 48-hectare campus in Semenyih, and grew to its present size of more than 650 staff and 5,200 students drawn from across the ASEAN region and beyond.
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Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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