North South University (NSU) has signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the University of Western Australia (UWA) to expand academic cooperation, strengthen agribusiness research and promote collaboration between Bangladesh and Australia.

The agreements were signed during a recent high-level visit by an NSU delegation to UWA in Perth, Australia, aimed at strengthening institutional ties and exploring new opportunities for collaboration in education, agricultural innovation and research, according to the press release.

The NSU delegation was led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury and included Benajir Ahmed, former chairman and member of the NSU Board of Trustees, and Professor Dr Nazrul Islam, director of the NSU-UWA Agribusiness Centre of Excellence.

During the visit, the delegation held meetings with faculty members from the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, the UWA Institute of Agriculture and the School of Population and Global Health.

The delegates also toured UWA’s plant-growth facilities and held discussions with university representatives to identify future areas of cooperation and develop a roadmap for strengthening collaboration between the two institutions.

As part of the visit, the delegation joined UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma at a roundtable discussion on the NSU-UWA Agribusiness Centre of Excellence, held at UWA’s Winthrop Hall.

The roundtable brought together university leaders, government officials, researchers and industry representatives to explore opportunities for cooperation in agricultural innovation, food security, climate resilience and investment between Bangladesh and Australia.

The NSU delegation also paid a courtesy visit to Lord Mayor of the City of Perth Bruce Reynolds at Council House, further strengthening institutional and community connections between Perth and Bangladesh.

A key outcome of the visit was the signing of two MoUs between NSU and UWA to expand their existing academic and research partnership.

Under the first agreement, a 2+2 articulation programme will be introduced for students pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at NSU, enabling them to complete part of their undergraduate studies at UWA.

The second agreement involves a contribution to support and strengthen research and development activities at the NSU-UWA Agribusiness Centre of Excellence (ACE) at NSU.

The agreements are expected to create new opportunities for academic mobility, collaborative research, knowledge exchange and institutional capacity-building between the two universities.

As part of its future initiatives, NSU will host an international symposium on 13 December 2026 in collaboration with UWA and other partners.

The symposium will focus on agribusiness transformation, technology transfer, value-chain development and the formulation of a roadmap for Bangladesh-Australia cooperation covering the period from 2027 to 2030.

Through the NSU-UWA Agribusiness Centre of Excellence, the partnership aims to bridge academic research and practical applications while promoting innovation, sustainable agricultural development and long-term agribusiness opportunities for both countries.