PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

02 July 2025, Perth - Philippine Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Antonio A. Morales met with senior officials from Curtin University on 02 July 2025 to discuss opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration, student mobility, and joint research initiatives with the Philippines.

Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Chris Rawson, Dean Global for ASEAN Dr. Thor Kerr, and Associate Professor Richard Diaz Alorro of the School of Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering provided a comprehensive briefing on Curtin’s engagement with Philippine higher education institutions.

Curtin University currently has active MOUs with several Philippine universities, including Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, and Mindanao State University. As part of its efforts to expand student engagement in Southeast Asia, Curtin is launching its first-ever Philippines Study Tour in November 2025 under the New Colombo Plan (NCP). As a member of the Australian Technology Network, Curtin University also has a partnership with the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines.

This initiative will bring CU students from food science, chemistry, and agriculture disciplines to the Philippines for a six-week program in collaboration with UP Diliman, focusing on food security, local supply chains, and native plant applications.

Ambassador Morales welcomed the initiative and highlighted the Philippines’ Transnational Higher Education (TNE) Act, which opens the door for innovative education delivery models such as academic franchising, branch campuses, articulation arrangements, twinning programs, and blended learning. He encouraged Curtin to explore more accessible pathways and in-country delivery models. He also proposed collaboration in harnessing the university’s expertise to help train Filipino mining experts and sharing sustainable mining practices, given the Philippines’ untapped mineral wealth and rising global demand for critical minerals.

Curtin University is an Australian public research university and is WA’s largest university. Since its establishment in 1966, the university has expanded its presence and has campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and Mauritius, and ties with 90 exchange universities in 20 countries.

Australia is a top destination for Filipino students, with nearly 3,900 Filipinos enrolled in Western Australia in 2024, making them the fifth-largest international student cohort in the state. - END