Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, Stefan Rozkopal, made a visit to Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Senior Vice Rector for Administrative Affairs, Finance, and Human Resources Development of UGM, Prof. Ainun Na’im, M.B.A., Ph.D., and Senior Vice Rector for Academic, Research and Community Service, Prof..Dr.Retno Sunarminingih, M.Sc., Apt., received the visit at the Rector Room, Tuesday (6 / 4).
In this meeting, both UGM and the Government of Slovakia discussed various possibilities of cooperation that can be elaborated in the future. Both sides hope the meeting can be the first step for the possibility of cooperation and collaboration between UGM and several other universities in Slovakia. Â
According to Prof. Retno, the forms of the cooperation are not limited only to universities, but also those with other parties. Cooperation that will be built is bilateral, including outside the field of education. Thus, the Slovak Government will invite the Government of Indonesia to cooperate in other forms. "After this, on May 27, 2010 Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia will make a visit, especially for education cooperation with UGM," she explained
In particular, the Slovak Government also offered a variety of cooperation projects, ranging from engineering, agriculture, food, to medicine. Nevertheless, the fastest realization of the cooperation is in elaborate joint double degree programs. This cooperation includes lecture exchange and student exchange. While for the research, UGM hope that it can be directed to political science, business, and engineering areas.
"We’re reminded that Slovakia is a country that belongs to European Union and is now quite advanced. This is the first step, which in the future is expected to grow more because we know Slovakia is a developed country in industry and agriculture, particularly the automotive industry," concluded Retno.