The University of Nottingham today confirmed that good progress was being made in work to buy out its joint venture partners in the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) and secure the long-term future of the university in the region, together with the 650 jobs and 5,000 students on its Malaysian campus.

In the period since the Share Sale Agreement was announced, the university and Bousted Holdings Berhad (BHB) have been progressing the details of the sale and preparing for the university to take majority ownership of the campus.

Formal applications have been submitted to the Malaysian government and work is well underway to separate campus IT, HR and Finance functions from BHB’s systems. The university has already gained approvals from key providers so that the campus will be fully supported from the start of majority ownership.

The sale has already garnered positive reactions from the Malaysian government, notably the Ministry of Higher Education, which has welcomed the continued presence of the University of Nottingham in the provision of higher education in the country.

In order to complete a complex series of legal and administrative actions to achieve the sale, the university and BHB have mutually agreed to extend the period of the Share Sale Agreement to February 2022 to ensure a smooth transition – all other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

The purchase presents UNM with exciting opportunities to continue to deliver high quality British education globally, expand international research partnerships and extend operations in Malaysia and the ASEAN region.

It will enable the campus to build on excellent foundations in teaching and research to develop new, innovative teaching programmes and research that supports sustainable development locally, regionally and globally. It will also help UNM to extend student scholarships based on need and potential and to tailor education and research to meet the changing needs of the local and regional communities.