The University Consortium (UC), Philippines organized the Virtual MOU Signing between members of the University Consortium (UC) and the State Universities and Colleges – Association of College of Agriculture in the Philippines, Inc. (SUC-ACAP) on Tuesday 10 August 2021, at 10.00 (GMT+08:00) or 09.00 (Thailand time). Therefore, Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, the President of Kasetsart University as Chief Executive Board and Assistant Professor Dr. Buncha Chinnasri, Assistant to the President for Quality Development as UC Executive Officer, are invited to attend the Virtual MOU Signing among Members of the UC and SUC-ACAP via online system Zoom; along with Assistant Professor Dr. Kampanat Pensupar, Vice President for International Affairs, and Miss Araya BIJAPHALA, Director of International Affairs Division also participated as honorable witnesses at the MOU Signing Ceremony as well.

The Virtual MOU Signing has been conducted in celebration of ASEAN Week as the partnership between the UC and SUC-ACAP contributes to strengthening ASEAN relations by establishing academic exchanges and collaborations. Specifically, the MOU was signed in line with the project on Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LeveIUPHEI AFaR) funded by the Philippine Commission on High Education (CHED). This project, managed by SEARCA, intends to build the leadership and research and development capacities of faculty/staff members from the 74 SUC-ACAP member universities and enhance their institutions’ internationalization, and establish academic exchanges and collaborations between these two associations and their members.

Kasetsart University is a member of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Agriculture and Natural Resources or the University Consortium or UC. The University Consortium was founded in 1989, is a commitment of Southeast Asia’s leading higher education institutions to share their expertise and academic resources. The University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC), consisting of Kasetsart University (KU), Thailand, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Philippines, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (U GM) Indonesia. In addition, the University Consortium is a powerful network for linking top agricultural universities in Southeast Asia, together with universities in Canada, Germany, and Japan, with many grants and activities offering under the UC-SEARCA cooperation network.