The British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Dominic James Robert Jermey CVO OBE, paid a visit to Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).
The visit was received by the UGM Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, along with several faculty leaders at UGM.
Also present in the British Ambassador’s entourage were Juliana Ritcher, Melisa Kusuma, Faye Belnis, and Bianka Syarief.
In addition to introducing himself as the new UK Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, the visit included discussions on existing collaborations and the potential for advancing education and research partnerships between universities/institutions in the UK and UGM.
“UGM and institutions in the UK have been collaborating for quite some time, starting around 2006,” said Ambassador Robert on Friday (November 17).
“UGM has developed partnerships with various types of institutions, such as universities, research institutions, and government agencies, and has even participated in forming the UK-Indonesia Interdisciplinary Science Consortium (UKICIS) in 2020-2021.”
He mentioned that UGM, through its researchers, is regularly involved in collaborative research with universities in the UK and receives research funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), Research England, the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships, and others.
Ambassador Robert acknowledged that after the rector visited the UK in June 2023, UGM and several UK universities collaborated to implement planned activities such as double degree programs.
This includes seeking funding through LPDP, student exchanges, guest lecturers, joint research, mentoring, and more.
After this visit, UGM sent two delegates, Professor Kuwat Triyana and Professor Gandes Retno Rahayu, to the UK for the Indonesia Higher Education Forum or Joint Working Group (JWG-UK) in Edinburgh on November 19-24, 2023.
At the forum, Professor Gandes would speak for a session titled Transnational Education (TNE), presenting the collaborative research between UGM and Anglia Ruskin University titled “Transnational Education in Clinical Competencies for Future Nurses in the United Kingdom and Indonesia (TNE Nurse UKIND),” funded by the Going Global British Council Partnership Grant.
Professor Wening Udasmoro stated that the British Ambassador’s visit to UGM aims to strengthen the ongoing collaboration. UGM has carried out various forms of cooperation with several universities in the UK.
“One of the discussions concerns environmental issues. Various thoughts and research on the environment are significant and align with UGM’s strategic plan,” she said.
The vice-rector stated that as a university, UGM is mandated to maintain sustainability for humans and nature. The sustainability between humans and nature is part of education at UGM.
“If nature and humans are sustainable, then our lives will experience improvement in terms of quality. One of the offers that emerged in the discussion was the possibility of joint research, especially with universities in the UK,” she added.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Donnie