• Research,

Cooperation between Naval Group, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) and Centrale Nantes to develop a Master

On Thursday, March 23, on the occasion of the LIMA exhibition in Langkawi, Naval Group (formerly DCNS), Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) and Centrale Nantes signed a Memorandum of Agreement to develop a Master in Maritime Technology in Malaysia.

on March 23, 2017

In the framework of this agreement, the three partners will put together their complementary expertise to develop courses of excellence that will contribute to developing a high-level expertise in the Maritime domain in Malaysia.

The first year of the Master will take place within UPNM, in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), with the pedagogical support of Centrale Nantes, as an academic partner. For the second year of the Master, a selection of Master1-graduated students will be offered the opportunity to study in Nantes (France), within Centrale Nantes.

Within the next few months, Centrale Nantes will rely on its experience and work together with UPNM to set up the courses of the Master, in line with the specific Malaysian needs in the maritime industry. As an industrial expert in naval technology, Naval Group will bring its expertise to design and develop the courses of the future Master. The specialized Master 2 will include courses specifically devoted to warship integration technology, with the support of some Naval Group’s experts.

The training of Malaysian teachers will start in September 2017 under the management of Centrale Nantes, with a start of the Master in Malaysia planned from January 2018.

Commenting on this announcement, Nathalie Smirnov, Naval Group Vice-President for Services, declared: “Naval Group is a long-term naval and maritime partner of Malaysia and the agreement signed today with UPNM and Centrale Nantes is a step further in our cooperation. By providing academic courses of excellence in Maritime Technology, this Master will ensure the training of specialized engineers who will contribute to the success of Malaysia’s future naval programs”.

General Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Panglima Hj. Zulkifli bin Hj. Zainal Abidin, UPNM vice-chancellor, declared: “This MoA paves the way for Malaysians, in particular UPNM’s students, to gain access to the leading-edge technology and expertise that Centrale Nantes as well as Naval Group have to offer. This collaboration is very much in line with the vision of UPNM and supports our aspiration of producing intellectual leaders of character who are committed towards selfless service to the nation in furtherance of national strategic interests”.

Arnaud Poitou, director of Centrale Nantes, declared: ”We share with UPNM a common industrial partner in Naval Group. This agreement has come about because of Centrale Nantes’ capacity for interdisciplinary research, our recognized expertise in the maritime area and our track record in setting-up partnerships with prestigious universities across the world. These strengths will be leveraged for the benefit of Malaysian maritime industry. “

Published on March 24, 2017 Updated on June 29, 2017