Photo with ITS leaders with a delegation from the Australian Consulate-General in Surabaya at the ITS Rectorate Building

ITS Campus, ITS News – The Australian Consulate-General in Surabaya paid a visit to Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember on Wednesday (30/3) to strengthen existing relations and collaborations since 2017. This visit intends to discuss further academic, research, and innovation cooperation between ITS and Australia.

Located in the Leadership Meeting Room of the ITS Rectorate Building, the meeting lasted approximately one hour and was attended by ITS Chancellor Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng, ITS Education Director Dr Eng Siti Machcepat ST MEng, ITS Academic and Postgraduate Development Director Prof Dr rer pol Heri Kuswanto MSi, as well as the Director of Innovation and Area Science Technopark ITS Agus Muhamad Hatta ST MSi PhD along with other ITS leaders. From the Australian Consul General, it was led directly by the Australian Consul General in Surabaya, Fiona Hoggart, along with the Australian Research Education Counselor, Han Xiao Zhang, and his staff.

On that occasion, Fiona saw the development of ITS partnership with campuses in Australia was growing fiercely and noticed long-standing collaboration. Currently, there are 16 universities or institutes in Australia that have collaborated as ITS partners. Among others are Curtin University, The University of Queensland, and many more. “With this collaboration, we are very enthusiastic in establishing research development, especially on innovation again with ITS,” she said.

ITS Chancellor Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng (right) and Australian Consul General in Surabaya Fiona Hoggart while leading a discussion on academic development and innovation research at the ITS Rectorate Building

Han Xiao Zhang commented that ITS collaboration with Australia has entered the 4.0 technology market through science, materials, nanotechnology, and computing engineering. Furthermore, Surabaya and Australia also increasingly show their existence through the Western-Australia and East Java University Consortium (WAEJUC) program focuses on academic research and international publications.

Meanwhile, broadly, ITS has also been incorporated in the Australia-Indonesia Center (AIC) collaboration with the government on industrial technology. Recently, ITS and AIC have donated transportation laboratory lecturers in the infrastructure cluster and agriculture planning laboratory lecturers.

Responding to this problem, the ITS Chancellor familiarly called Ashari revealed that ITS is always ready to continuously develop research and innovation in Asia, supported by ten innovation research laboratories and four technology industry clusters at ITS: automotive, maritime, robotics, and creative digital industry. “If there will be a big collaboration, hopefully, there will also be a big change for the world and the university,” he said proudly.

Ashari also explained that ITS will carry out large-scale development of the ITS Science Techno Park with the Higher Education for Technology and Innovation (HETI) Project. The project is planned to be completed in 2027 and was made considering utilizing four technology industry clusters to make it better and more beneficial for the community.

With the HETI Project, industrial development at ITS can become the main pioneer in the progress of academic development and innovation research in Surabaya, East Java then expands to Indonesia, even internationally. “The ITS Language and Culture Center (now the Global Language Center Unit) will also be renovated and presented to foreign people,” he said.

Handing over of souvenirs from the ITS Research Center from ITS Chancellor Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng (right) to the Australian Consul General in Surabaya Fiona Hoggart

From the discussion meeting on academic development and innovation research at ITS, this Professor of Electrical Engineering truly hopes for the Australian Consul General to continue to collaborate and work well with ITS. Especially continuously to develop the academic community of the two countries in science, technology, education, and innovation. “In the future, it could expand to the government of the two countries,” he concluded. (ITS PR)

Reporter: Fauzan Fakhrizal Azmi

Translator : Hanifah Inayah