KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 28): Monash University Malaysia on Tuesday announced its plan to establish a RM2.8 billion new campus in the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), Malaysia's international financial centre.
The university will be collaborating with TRX City Sdn Bhd, the master developer of TRX, on the project. This confirms a February report by The Edge Malaysia that the university was in final discussions with TRX City to lease a purpose-built facility within the district.
This new campus is expected to be operational from 2032. It can accommodate up to 22,500 students and 1,700 staff, according to the university in a statement. The university is working with the Australian and Malaysian governments to bring this future campus to life.
The investment was announced by Monash University vice-chancellor and president professor Sharon Pickering in Kuala Lumpur, alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Malaysia's Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
Albanese said showcasing Australia’s best-in-class higher education sector overseas is a huge opportunity for Australian jobs and investment. "But it is also an important opportunity to extend deep connections in our region and right around the world. That is exactly what we are seeing with this investment from Monash for a new campus in Malaysia: students learning from one of Australia’s leading international universities right here in the heart of Kuala Lumpur".
Albanese, who attended the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits from Oct 26 to 28, is now on an official visit in the country on the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The TRX campus, which will complement Monash University Malaysia’s current campus in Bandar Sunway, plans to offer over 35 extra courses in crucial sectors, such as digitalisation, AI and cyber security, climate change and sustainability, healthcare and digital health, semiconductor and advantaged manufacturing, and banking and finance.
Monash University Malaysia president Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said the strong growth in research and education underpinned the local investment for the university's future campus in TRX.
The institution estimates that its investment in Malaysia will contribute about RM19.1 billion to the local economy over the next decade.
From just 417 students when the university was established as Malaysia's first foreign university campus in Sunway, it now has over 11,000 students from 80-plus countries.