In the old days students in this region just thought of USA, Europe or Australia when being asked where to continue their studies. However, studying in those countries is of high cost and based on western-oriented notions or cultures, which sometimes cannot be applied to the Asian circumstance. Some students also suffers from cultural differences, causing negative effects on their academic performances, social interactions and lifestyles.

Considering the abovementioned disadvantages, AUN/SEED-Net has become a solution for ASEAN students. By utilizing human resources of leading member institutions in ASEAN with academic assistance from prominent Japanese universities, AUN/SEED-Net has been considered highly effective and successful in developing both educational and economic capacities of the region.

AUN/SEED-Net’s graduate programs in ASEAN generally provide young graduates and faculty members of member institutions with scholarships to study in 9 engineering fields at leading institutions in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. The Master’s Degree Program grants 2-year scholarships while the Doctoral Degree Sandwich Program grants 3-year scholarships including a short-term study period in Japan to successful candidates. The Doctoral Degree Program in Singapore offers to bachelor’s holders a direct pathway to doctoral level with 4-year scholarships.

All of the scholars, except those studying in Singapore, will receive research funds under the Collaborative Research Program whereby their research projects are being conducted under specific research umbrellas in respective engineering fields. AUN/SEED-Net also provides several supports to strengthen academic networking within ASEAN and with Japan, e.g. field-wise seminars, short-term visits to Japan and within member institutions, Japanese professor dispatches, and promotional trips for host institutions to recruit students from member institutions.

By way of host-sending approach and regional hub establishment, the graduate programs at host institutions have been upgraded to comply with international standards whereas the faculty qualifications of sending institutions have been enhanced progressively. To guarantee the research quality, Japanese professors have added their contributions through joint supervision of students with host supervisors. Thus, AUN/SEED-Net students have benefited greatly from this value-added studying system because they can acquire higher degrees and advanced knowledge from regional institutions and Japanese universities, while saving a lot of traveling and living costs compared to studying in western countries. This system also facilitates their networking with other academics in the region for future research collaboration. For the region’s benefits, the research being conducted are mostly concerned with ASEAN-related issues and based on real environments. Moreover, most students have been impressed with living in ASEAN countries as it is easy for them to accommodate to.

All of the AUN/SEED-Net programs and activities have been created to enhance engineering education of ASEAN to meet with the international benchmark and to deal with typical issues of the region through the use of local human resources and region-oriented wisdoms, corresponding with the ASEAN’s initiative to strengthen the academic network for solidarity and regional identity. Because of cost-effectiveness, knowledge applicability, and cultural resemblance, studying in ASEAN with AUN/SEED-Net is a very interesting choice that comes to ASEAN students’ minds in recent days.

The Department of Engineering Design and Manufacture of the University of Malaya (UM) was first established as CAD/CAM Unit in 1993. By year 2000, the Unit expanded tremendously hence it was upgraded to become an independent department. Over the years, the department has become well-quipped with research facilities and expertise in different areas, such as CAD/CAM, Ergonomics, Robotics, Conventional and Non-conventional Machining, High Speed Machining, Processing of Particulate Materials and Metal-Ceramic Composites, Stir Casting, Electrical Resistance Sintering, Statistical Modeling, Surface Engineering and Total Quality Management. Members of academic staff are actively engaged in R&D with financial support from the Federal Government (IRPA grant), AUN/SEED-Net, and other industrial grants.

July 2003 was truly an important month both for AUN/SEED-Net and the department when the first group of AUN/SEED-Net scholars formally began their studies at UM. With this event, UM officially became the hub for Manufacturing Engineering education under the AUN/SEED-Net program. During the first year, there were 3 scholars accepted under the Master’s Degree program, and increasing in number every year, with more than 20 master’s and PhD students taken under its wing.

With the four batches of students who joined and are currently part of the program, various research activities had been and being carried out in numerous topics covering the wide array of manufacturing fields. Previous and present master’s and PhD researches include areas such as brazing technology, powder metallurgy, bioceramics coating and grafting, image processing, machine condition monitoring, robotics, machine design and others.

AUN/SEED-Net students are also exposed to other various experiences aside from the already notable research and academic orientation of the department. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of some of the researches being done by the students, it provides a venue for further collaboration not only among the AUN/SEED-Net students but also with other graduate students and some lecturers in the university. This aspect of training and exposure offered by the department is very helpful in the mission of the AUN/SEED-Net Project in fostering network among the ASEAN member institutions, since majority of the scholars will be returning to serve their respective countries and to apply the knowledge acquired from the program.

Other activities initiated by the department are short-visit trips to other member institutions. In June 2006, Prof. Dr. Zahari Taha brought several AUN/SEED-Net master’s students to Singapore to visit the National University of Singapore (NUS). During the trip, the students had the opportunity to visit research laboratories and had first-hand interaction with NUS professors, which highly motivated them in their respective areas of research.

In addition to the NUS trip, the students along with Prof. Dr. Zahari Taha made another trip during 27-31 August 2006 to Indonesia to visit Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB). Through this trip, the students were able to see the kinds of researches being done by the other member institutions. The students also made brief presentations in front of student audience to promote the AUN/SEED-Net programs and the Manufacturing Engineering program at UM.

Combining the research capability and the creativeness of UM to facilitate learning and holistic development makes them worthy of being given the honor to host the field of Manufacturing Engineering under the AUN/SEED-Net Project.

The research “Development of a Software for Designing and Manufacturing of an Impeller” by AUN/SEED-Net student at University of Malaya Mr. Agung Bramantya (from Gadjah Mada University) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Zahari Taha (University of Malaya), and Prof. Dr. Yasuo Suga (Keio University) was presented as a poster at two big exhibitions in Malaysia. This research has been supported by AUN/SEED-Net under the collaborative research theme: Product Design and Development.

Bramantya’s research was presented as a poster at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) during 6-11 December 2005. This international exhibition is one of the world’s major air shows, bringing together latest technology and products from the aerospace industry. The same research was also presented at the Manufacturing and Automation Technology Exhibition (MAT2006) in Penang during 21–23 September 2006. This specialized machine tool & metalworking event has been earmarked as the gateway to the manufacturing industry as it hosts a wide array of exhibits never witnessed before.