A professor and a student of the University of Guelph (U of G) in Canada recently visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture
(SEARCA) in the Philippines to explore potential areas of collaboration.
U of G is a public research university in Guelph, Ontario.
In their visit to SEARCA in Laguna, Helen Hambly of U of G's Capacity Development and Extension Office and Francis Jabile, a master's student, presented several funding opportunities for Southeast Asian countries.
The available funding grants must have nature-based solutions and socially inclusive approaches.
"U of G actively supports research projects related to food security, agriculture, and sustainable development," Hambly said, noting the university's role in facilitating knowledge exchange and proposal development, particularly for initiatives focused on Southeast Asia.
Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, SEARCA senior program head of education and collective learning department, and Sharon Malaiba, SEARCA unit head for partnerships, briefed the guests on the Center's mandate and core programs.
Cuaresma and Malaiba introduced the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) where SEARCA provides secretariat services.
"UC is one of the highly sought-after networks in the graduate education level because of its proven track record in providing high-quality formal and non-formal education activities," Cuaresma said.
It links universities in the region and offers high-quality education in agriculture, environment, and natural resources.
At present, UC has nine regular members, including Institut Pertanian Bogor, Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Brawijaya, all from Indonesia; Universiti Putra Malaysia; Kasetsart University (KU) and Maejo University, both from Thailand; and the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Visayas State University, and Central Luzon State University, all from the Philippines.
UC also has the Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) in Japan and National Taiwan University as associate members; and has five affiliate members, namely, Central Mindanao University in the Philippines, Georg-August University Göttingen in Germany, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University, all in Canada.
The visit of Hambly and Jabile concluded with the prospect of signing of an agreement between SEARCA and U of G to further advance agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia.