Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) – Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) is expanding its networking to Indonesia as part of the Malaysia-Japan Linkage Office (MJL) initiative, marked by a courtesy visit to collaborators in Indonesia. The delegation is led by Prof. Ts. Dr. Ali Selamat, Dean of MJIIT and includes the Deputy Dean of Academic & Students Development, Assoc. Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Nurulakmar Abu Husain; Deputy Registrar, Ms. Khairani Ibrahim; Sangaku-Renkei Manager, Ir. Ts. Dr. Sumiaty Ambran, and two experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Isamu Hamada and Ms. Emiko Hamada.
The visit commenced on February 21st to the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), refer to Figure 1. MJIIT had previously collaborated with JAIF on a Postgraduate Sponsorship project from 2016 to 2019 and is now planning to broaden this collaboration to include ASEAN counterparts. Mr. Billy Sumuan, the Senior Programme Officer from the JAIF Management Team in Indonesia, presented JAIF project initiatives and expressed eagerness for more collaborative projects with MJIIT.
Figure 1: UTM-MJIIT team at the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) office in Jakarta, Indonesia
On the same day, MJIIT visited Universitas Indonesia (UI) (Figure 2) to explore potential collaborations such as double-degree programs, student and staff exchange, and summer school mobility programme. Prof. Ir. Dr. Harinaldi, Head of Education Modernization and Internationalization Unit & International Office, warmly welcomed MJIIT at UI. MJIIT’s alumni, Dr. Fatimah Azizah Riyadi, now a lecturer at UI, was also present to welcome the delegation.
February 22nd saw MJIIT visiting Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) – Figure 3, to explore potential collaborations in student and staff activities, including student mobility, summer/spring school, and adjunct professors. Following the meeting, the delegation had the opportunity to visit ITB’s laboratories.
Figure 3: MJIIT with collaborators in Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB)
On the final day, February 23rd, the delegation visited PT Kansai Paint (Figure 4) to explore student internship opportunities and extended an invitation to join the Malaysia-Japan Industrial and Innovation Expo 2024. In the afternoon, MJIIT visited the JICA Office in Indonesia, where Mr. Kuwata Tetsuya, Mr. Ogawa Kumiko and the JICA Indonesia team warmly welcomed the MJIIT delegation. The discussion proved fruitful, reinforcing the continuous support from JICA to MJIIT since 2010 (Figure 5).
Figure 4: MJIIT with the management of PT Kansai Paint, Jakarta, Indonesia
Figure 5: A fruitful visit to the JICA Office in Indonesia
Prepared by Dr. Sumiaty and AP. Dr. Nurulakmar