Udayana University and Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Sign MoU

Jakarta - Udayana University (Unud) has collaborated with the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by both parties at the Australian Embassy, ​​Jakarta, Tuesday (13/6/2023). Present at the signing of the MoU was Australian Ambassador to Indonesia HE Ms Penny Williams PSM, ACIAR CEO Professor Andrew Campbell, Rector of Udayana University who in this case was represented by Unud Vice Rector for Planning, Cooperation and Information Prof. Dr. dr. I Putu Gede Adiatmika, M.Kes, ACIAR Project Leader, Unud Research Team Prof. Ir. I Made Supartha Utama, Representative of BRIN, BRIDA Province of Bali, Rector of Diponegoro University, Rector of Mataram University and other invitees.

Indonesia has been an important and key partner country for ACIAR for the past four decades. In such a dynamic situation after the transition of the R&D system to BRIN and new & direct partnerships with universities in Indonesia, Prof. Campbell as CEO of ACIAR is very interested in ensuring ACIAR's partnership and collaboration with all Partners in Indonesia and has a good position, and one of the the new collaboration that was carried out was with Udayana University.

Vice Rector Prof. I Putu Gede Adiatmika in his remarks representing the Rector of Udayana University said that the signing of this MoU was an important moment for Unud because it was part of the collaboration between Indonesia and Australia, which had been involved in collaboration, especially in the field of agricultural research under the auspices of the ACIAR project. For Unud, this is the starting point for carrying out a major activity for the development of human resources in Indonesia through research collaboration as well as bringing closer the University of Udayana Indonesia and the University of Adelaide, Australia in particular and Australia in general.

Quite a lot of cooperation has been carried out with various universities in Australia, and this time one more university in Australia has collaborated with Udayana University. The Vice Rector hopes that this project can be implemented on time according to the agenda that has been proposed in order to develop the resilience of small-scale farmers by facilitating collaborative and inclusive partnerships in local agribusiness-tourism ecosystems through identification, development, evaluation and value creation interventions.

"On the other hand, we also hope that this collaboration can facilitate other collaborations that encourage more and more participation of human resources at Udayana University, both lecturers, staff and students. Thus, the further impact will be felt more and more as a scientific impact from the implementation of the collaboration and practical impact for follow-up after the implementation of this project," said the Vice Rector.

It is hoped that the goals of this collaboration project with ACIAR will ultimately be able to provide positive value for the responsibility of farmers and ultimately support the strengthening and competitiveness of the nation in an era of increasingly fierce competition.