JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 28 September 2015 – The Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Dr. Muhamad Jantan paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia, Professor Dr. H. Mohamad Nasir at the latter’s office here recently.

The hour-long meeting was also attended by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia Ainun Naim, Director General of Resources, Science and Technology and Higher Education Professor Dr. Ali Ghufron Mukti, Senior Advisor for Relevance and Productivity Dr. Ir. Agus Puji Prasetyono along with other senior officials.

During the meeting, Omar conveyed congratulations on behalf of USM to Mohamad Nasir on his appointment as Minister of the Republic of Indoñesia.

 

Mohamad Nasir, 55, is a USM alumnus who graduated with a Ph.D in Accounting from the School of Management, USM in 2004.

“We believe that there are many areas and endeavours of mutual benefit for academicians from USM and universities in Indonesia, as well as further efforts in research and development of knowledge for society which can be explored with the support of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia,” said Omar.

The USM Vice-Chancellor also suggested increasing collaborative research in the various disciplines of Science, Technology and Innovation between experts from USM and various parties in Indonesia.

He also presented a proposal for the organisation of a conference on disaster management, based on USM’s recent experience of managing the floods in Kelantan.

"We also hope to initiate collaborations in various fields of high-impact research between Malaysian research universities and our Indonesian counterparts," said the USM Vice-Chancellor.

Omar also presented a letter of invitation to the Minister to officiate at the upcoming International Conference on Local Knowledge (ICLK), organised by USM in collaboration with three Indonesian universities, which will be held in Bandung, Indonesia in mid-October.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia expressed his appreciation at USM’s efforts to establish linkages with Indonesian universities as well as its other efforts at collaboration in the ASEAN region.

While outlining the functions of his Ministry, Mohamad Nasir expressed the hope to undertake a wider role in the areas of research, technology and higher education through the ASEAN Community. He also expressed willingness to consider USM’s suggestion to establish research cooperation, and develop a mechanism to encourage more fruitful engagements in the future.

“I truly welcome this effort, and hope for further discussions to be held in the near future at the officers’ level to ensure that our existing cooperation can be elevated to a higher level to ensure mutual benefit even while the Ministry is currently endeavouring to achieve its objectives and functions in advancing Science and Technology, Aerospace and Satellites as well as its other initiatives being implemented through the Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of Sciences), Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (National Institute of Aeronautics and Space), Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology) and other national agencies administered by this Ministry,” said Mohamad Nasir.

During this meeting the USM Vice-Chancellor also presented a briefing on the research efforts, as well as various memoranda of cooperation undertaken between USM and several Indonesian universities, efforts at joint publications, as well as a proposal for the establishment of the Asian Centre for Educational Excellence in the field of Management and exploring the possibility of cooperation to offer a postgraduate degree in Business Studies. Omar also outlined collaborations in Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, along with other cordial relations which have long existed between USM and various Indonesian counterparts.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin & Dr. Nurul Farhana Low Abdullah

Text: Mohamad bin Abdullah