SA pursues jobs and investment from education ties with Cambodia

Saturday, 26 August 2017

A new Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) and University of Adelaide joint Policy Research Centre, unveiled by Minister for Investment and Trade Martin Hamilton-Smith today, is set to strengthen academic collaboration between South Australia and Cambodia.

The Minister will officially launch the centre in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh today, reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two education institutions, originally established in 2015.

Research collaboration between the RUPP and the University of Adelaide will be primarily across key growth sectors including health, education, business development, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and food. The centre will also play an important role in developing the relationship between students and academic staff across the regions, by facilitating joint grant applications, supervision of PhD students, seminars, conferences, and lectures.

Academic collaboration between the RUPP and the University of Adelaide was first established in 2015 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities. In 2016, the Policy Research Centre was set up at the RUPP to drive economic and social policies in Cambodia and Australia, and was officially recognised by the Government of Cambodia this year. The launch is part of the State Government’s business mission program in South-East Asia.

"I would like to congratulate both the University of Adelaide and the Royal University of Phnom Penh on the work they have done to develop this Policy Research Centre," says Minister Hamilton-Smith.

"The centre will strengthen the education ties we have already established with Cambodia, through research collaboration that will benefit both regions and create opportunities across key growth sectors."

Associate Professor Shandre Thangavelu, Director South-East Asia for the Institute for International Trade, University of Adelaide, says:

"Collaboration between the University of Adelaide and the Royal University of Phnom Penh will create new avenues of research in trade and investment, and will directly influence government policy and business practice in South Australia and Cambodia.

"Already we can see opportunities for South Australian business to participate in the tourism sector in Cambodia, to be part of the development of the agriculture sector, to supply services such as logistics and other business services, to provide tertiary and technical education, and to export into the wine market. The University can support these efforts through recruiting more students from Cambodia into its international cohort and by working with business on building networks there, including with alumni and the research and policy communities.

"Working with our partners, we can also lead research on the economy of Cambodia, on its policy development that affects international business, and on its role in ASEAN integration."

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