CHED, Malaysia’s EMGS Sign Letter of Intent on ASEAN GEMS+ Scholarships, Research Grants and EduPHIL Student Visa Portal
CHED SCHOLARSHIPS – Filipino students, faculty and researchers are set to get wider access to scholarships and research funding across Southeast Asia after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) in Quezon City on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
EMGS is a company under Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the 4th EU-ASEAN Policy Dialogue on Higher Education, sets a framework for both sides to work together on the ASEAN Global Exchange for Mobility and Scholarship Plus (ASEAN GEMS+), the planned EducationPhilippines (EduPHIL) portal, transnational higher education and other programs.
ASEAN GEMS is a regional online platform where students and teachers can find scholarships and university incentives. Malaysia launched it in February 2025. EMGS Chairman Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Ahmad Shaffie said that as of October 2026, the platform has promoted more than 4,000 scholarship opportunities worth a combined value of nearly USD 200 million.
The “plus” version goes beyond student exchanges. “Building on the existing scholarship and mobility platform, the ASEAN GEMS+ extends cooperation to research grants, researcher mobility, and innovation partnerships, and collaborative projects aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said.
“This engagement has shown us that there is room to go beyond student mobility. We can also connect our universities and researchers to work on issues that matter to our region,” Agrupis added. She named sustainable fisheries, marine biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and responsible ocean resource management as possible shared research areas.
Agrupis said the partnership covers both teaching and research. “In instruction, of course, we focused on student and faculty mobility, so that we can expand our knowledge and skills beyond our borders and Malaysia,” she said.
Shaffie, for his part, described the deal as “a genuine two-way partnership.” “We want not only to welcome more Filipino students to Malaysia, but to encourage opportunities for Malaysian students and institutions to engage with the Philippines,” he said.
The LOI also covers EduPHIL, which Agrupis described as a one-portal system for student visa processing and all education-related foreign affairs requirements. She said an executive order for EduPHIL has been signed, its implementing rules are ready, and an inaugural inter-agency meeting was set at Malacañang before the public rollout.
The Philippines holds the ASEAN Chairship in 2026, following Malaysia’s turn in 2025. “This partnership also reflects the continuity between Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairship in 2025 and the Philippine Chairship this year,” Agrupis said.