The Philippines, through its Commission on Higher Education (CHED), has expanded academic exchange and research collaboration opportunities for Filipinos to help address regional challenges across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“This engagement has shown us that there is room to go beyond student mobility,” CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis said at the signing of the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) on Tuesday.
“We can also connect our universities and researchers to work on issues that matter to our region,” she added.
Students and teachers can access the grants in the digital portal and unified database platform, ASEAN Global Exchange for Mobility and Scholarship (ASEAN GEMS), managed by EMGS.
The expanded scope of scholarship opportunities and exchanges under the ASEAN Global Exchange for Mobility and Scholarship Plus (ASEAN GEMS+) includes research grants, researcher mobility, innovation partnerships, and joint research projects to address the region’s sustainable development challenges.
“I truly believe ASEAN GEMS+ can help explore practical ways to connect universities and researchers working on shared priorities including sustainable fisheries, marine biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and responsible ocean resource management,” Ms. Agrupis said.
“These are areas where regional collaboration can help our institutions share expertise and develop research that responds to common challenges,” she added.
The CHED Chair noted that the online platform is also expected to strengthen academic ties between the Philippines and Malaysia, which first launched the ASEAN GEMS in February 2025.
“This partnership also reflects the continuity between Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairship in 2025 and the Philippine Chairship this year,” she said. “We appreciate, from the deepest chamber of our hearts, Malaysia’s experience and their unselfish sharing of their experience in developing this platform.”
For its part, Malaysia said collaboration with the Philippines through ASEAN GEMS+ can boost student and institutional engagement between the two countries.
“I wish to emphasize that our vision is a genuine two-way partnership,” EMGS Chairman Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Ahmad Shaffie told reporters in an interview. “We hope this platform will encourage more students to explore opportunities across ASEAN, including between Malaysia and the Philippines.”
“We want not only to welcome more Filipino students to Malaysia, but to encourage opportunities for Malaysian students and institutions to engage with the Philippines,” he added.
As of October 2026, the EMGS reported that the initiative has promoted over 4,000 scholarship opportunities with a combined value of nearly USD 200 million. — Almira Louise S. Martinez