Beijing, August 2026: The Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development and Sunway University have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation in research, education and policy development on planetary health.
The agreement was signed during the International Planetary Health High-Level Forum in Beijing, hosted by the Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development.
Under the MOU, the two universities will collaborate on joint research projects, co-authored publications, policy briefs and funding proposals focusing on climate and health, health-system resilience and environmental governance.
The partnership will also facilitate regular conferences, seminars and policy dialogues aimed at translating scientific research into practical policy solutions.
Faculty members, researchers and students will have opportunities to participate in exchange programmes, including visiting scholar and internship programmes. The universities will also work together to develop curricula and strengthen capacity among early-career researchers and future leaders in planetary health.
The agreement further recognises Malaysian leadership in the field through the appointment of Professor Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, as Senior Fellow of Global Health at the Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development.
Professor Gordon G. Liu, Dean of the Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development, said the partnership reflects a shared understanding that human health and planetary health are closely interconnected.
“We look forward to working with Sunway University to build research and training capacity that serves not just our two institutions, but the wider region,” he said.
Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President and Vice-Chancellor of Sunway University, said the MOU would strengthen cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration in planetary health.
He said combining the expertise of the two institutions would help deepen research, knowledge exchange and capacity-building to address complex and interconnected challenges affecting both people and the planet.
The MOU was signed by Professor Gordon G. Liu; Professor Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood; and Professor Sibrandes Poppema before an audience of leading scientists and policymakers from across China.
