Increasing Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Supporting the Achievement of SDGs, Udayana University International Affairs Office Attends ASEA UNINET at Universiti Sains Malaysia

Udayana University (Unud) represented by the International Affairs Office (KUI) attended the 19th ASEAN-European Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET) Plenary Meeting on 27 February to 1 March 2024 at University Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

The 19th ASEA-UNINET Plenary Meeting this year was attended by 82 participants from nine ASEA-UNINET member countries, namely Austria, the Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan and Vietnam. As an honorary invitee at the opening ceremony, namely H.E. Mag. Andreas Launer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Malaysia, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Penang, Wanton Saragih, Prof. Dr. Azlinda Azman, Director General of Higher Education Malaysia, Deputy Chancellor of University Science Malaysia, Prof. Dato. Series Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, and President of ASEA-UNINET, Prof. Dato' Gs. Dr. Narimah Samat. Also present online was Prof. Dr. Martin Polaschek, Austrian Minister of Education, Science and Research and Prof. Dr. Hermann Mückler, President of the Federation of Austrian-Foreign Societies.

After the opening ceremony, activities on the first day of ASEA-UNINET at USM, Penang continued with the presentation of the first keynote speaker by Emeritus Prof. Dato' Dr. Morshidi Sirat, who is the Advisor to the Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), discussed research in post-pandemic higher education, where more massive international cooperation is currently needed for countries located in Europe and Asia so that it can provide benefits to the people living in it. wider. The second key speaker is Prof. Dr. Abd Karim Alias ​​as Principal Fellow from the Center for Academic Advancement & Flexible Learning (CAFEL), National Energy University (UNITEN) then invited the participants to dig deeper into research strategies for the future ecosystem for the world of education after the pandemic.

Apart from the two topics above, other topics discussed at this year's meeting included the involvement of ASEA-UNINET alumni in network development, digital humanism as a driver to answer the urgent need for a holistic socio-technical approach to the latest developments in computer science and artificial intelligence, opportunities ASEA-UNINET funding for research, the strategy to expand the number of European universities as members in ASEA-UNINET, and the diversification and impact of European and national funding schemes for academic collaboration between Southeast Asia and Europe.

In addition to the discussion regarding the above, it was stated that ASEA-UNINET provides various scholarship opportunities and mobility programs not only for students but also for researchers in various schemes, both in the fields of natural science and social science. At this year's Plenary Meeting there was also the election of the President of ASEA-UNINET 2024, presentations and voting for prospective Asea-Uninet participant candidates as well as the awarding of the Bernd Rode Award 2024 for young and senior researchers who have contributed to fields related to scientific development and are the result of collaboration with Asea-Uninet. Meeting activities are also interspersed with cultural and friendly activities as well as campus tour activities introducing various faculties and facilities owned by USM.

Gerhard Volz, Head of the Department of International Cooperation in Higher Education at OeAD, an Austrian education and internationalization agency, said that compared to all ASEAN countries that are members of ASEA-UNINET, Indonesia is the country that sends the most students to Europe, especially Austria and is the country that is the destination of the most students. Austrian students and teachers. OeAD and ASEA-UNINET encourage more students and researchers from Indonesia to make the best use of the various study and research scholarships offered.

Senja Pratiwi, Ph.D, KUI Coordinator representing Unud had the opportunity to meet and discuss with partners from Europe and ASEAN as well as promote various international programs, including short courses, exchange, summer and winter courses, KUI as well as study program-based programs owned by Unud as well as the UNISERF Grant which is a good opportunity for Unud researchers and foreign researchers in the ASEA-UNINET network to collaborate in conducting research that is not only beneficial for the institution but also for the countries involved.

Through this networking, Senja said that Unud's active participation in ASEA-UNINET was a real step for Unud to become better known on the international stage so that it could become a choice and attract more foreign students and researchers to study and conduct research at Unud. Apart from being part of Unud's internationalization, Senja also hopes that through ASEA-UNINET, Unud's collaboration with various universities in ASEAN and Europe can create innovation and solutions to overcome various global challenges faced by Indonesia and the world, such as climate change and sustainable development.

ASEA-UNINET welcomes various promotions and offers of international cooperation from Unud and will place various information from Unud to be promoted on their website slots and hopes that Unud will be more active in establishing various collaborations and running programs with other ASEA-UNINET member universities.