From July 6 to 11, 2025, the USR team from CYCU’s College of Design visited Taiping and Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld) in Perak, Malaysia, to co-host the “Co-Learning for Sustainability: International SIG Workshop on USR Collaboration.” Jointly organized by CYCU and UCSI University, the workshop aimed to strengthen international connections in University Social Responsibility (USR).
The event brought together local organizations such as Look Port Weld and Colllab, along with government officials and industry representatives. Through resource mapping and knowledge exchange, the participants collaborated to co-develop a sustainable roadmap for an international USR co-learning network.
The six-day workshop included in-depth field studies across Taiping’s historic districts, Bukit Larut, Taiping Lake, and the mangrove ecosystem of Kuala Sepetang. Participants explored the region’s natural landscapes and cultural industries to gain a comprehensive understanding of its environmental and human heritage.
This hands-on engagement demonstrated CYCU’s Pizun USR Project’s integration of theory and practice, while also expanding transnational networks for sustainable USR collaboration.
During the workshop, the team conducted a comprehensive waterway study starting from Bukit Larut and Taiping Lake, tracing the water system through historic districts and mangrove ecosystems to Kuala Sepetang. The fieldwork explored the relationship between local water resources and their environmental and cultural impacts.
This initiative is an extension of the ongoing collaboration between CYCU and UCSI University since 2021. Beginning in 2025, both institutions plan to launch a three-year project focused on in-depth water resource research and community workshops, integrating academic inquiry with local engagement to strengthen the foundation for sustainable USR collaboration.
The workshop concluded with a results-sharing forum, where faculty and students from both universities presented their field research findings and initial observations. Local partners were invited to join the dialogue, covering topics such as community-based actions, models of social design practice, and student reflections on the process from observation to action planning.
UCSI University and participating local organizations expressed strong interest in continued collaboration, with plans to jointly develop future USR-focused international courses and field research initiatives to further enhance academic and social exchange between Taiwan and Malaysia.
