MIT and MUST in joint thrust

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has agreed to form a partnership with the Malaysia University of Science and Technology, the country's proposed new private university, when it opens its doors next September.

Education minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has announced that MIT and MUST are in the process of submitting a fullscale proposal for the new university. It will be the first time MIT has involved itself so comprehensively with another country, said Dr Najib after discussions with MIT faculty members in Boston.

Najib's tour of MIT followed closely on the heels of prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's visit in September to the 130-year-old university which is renowned for its impressive teaching laboratories, inventors and engineers.

Dr Mahathir's enthusiasm for the MIT-MUST project fits in with his vision of creating a "skilled and innovative workforce for the proposed Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia".

The key player in the creation of MUST is Malaysian company Encorp Group, a private investment holding company with its head office in Kuching.

The company is proposing to spend around M$400 million (Pounds 105 million) in setting up the university.

The estimated operating costs will be between M$20 and M$30 million annually.