MINDANAO State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has signed an Academic Cooperation Agreement with the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM) of Kyushu University, Japan, to strengthen collaboration in environmental science and applied mechanics.

The agreement, signed last month, paves the way for joint research projects, academic exchanges, and knowledge sharing in areas such as renewable energy, marine plastic pollution, and environmental sustainability.

It also covers student and faculty exchange programs, collaborative studies on applied mechanics and ocean plastics, and provisions for future joint projects.

Present at the signing were MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney Ditucalan and RIAM Director Prof. Yoshihiro Kangawa, along with leading researchers including Prof. Atsuhito Isobe, an authority on marine plastic pollution.

The partnership builds on the work of MSU-IIT’s Prof. Hernando Bacosa, whose internationally recognized research on microplastics and oil spill biodegradation has previously linked the university with Kyushu through collaborative studies.

Officials said the collaboration is timely, as the Philippines remains one of the world’s top sources of ocean plastic waste, making the partnership vital in advancing scientific breakthroughs and sustainable solutions to pressing environmental challenges.