UNAIR NEWS – To enhance the potential for collaboration among Taiwan-educated alumni in Surabaya, Airlangga Global Engagement hosted the Taiwan Alumni Research Day 2024 on Tuesday, August 27, at the Amerta Room in the Management Office of Universitas Airlangga’s MERR-C Campus. The event brought together alumni from various Taiwanese universities to engage in discussions and networking.

Key attendees included Vice-Rector for Internationalization, Digitalization, and Information, Prof. Muhammad Miftahussurur, dr., M.Kes, Sp.PD-KGEH, Ph.D., FINASIM; Director General of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Surabaya, Isaac Chiu; Director of Airlangga Global Engagement, Prof. Iman Harymawan, S.E., MBA, Ph.D.; along with numerous alumni from Taiwanese institutions based in Surabaya.

“This event was initiated from a dinner conversation with Mr. Isaac, where we realized that there are hundreds of Taiwan alumni in East Java. This is a resource that we can potentially develop into a collaboration,” stated Prof. Harymawan.

“Most of the academics who graduate tend to become absorbed in their own fields. With this event, we hope to connect, collaborate, and make a greater impact on society,” he added.

Taiwan has emerged as a leading destination for Indonesian academics, with more than 20,000 students currently pursuing their studies there.

“Taiwan is ranked 20th globally in research and publications. Additionally, the Taiwanese government has allocated over $5 billion USD for research funding. This event could serve as a model for future academic collaboration between Indonesia and Taiwan,” said Chiu.

Aiming for more impactful research outcomes
Prof. Miftahussurur highlighted a shift in academic preferences, noting that Taiwan and South Korea are becoming increasingly popular study destinations, in contrast to Japan’s historical dominance. He also emphasized that research outputs should not be limited to publications but should also be linked to industry needs.

“With this approach (linking research outputs to industry), we can generate patents as research outputs. Our hope is that we can create collaborative research proposals following this event. Thank you for your participation, and may this be a productive and inspiring discussion.”

Tahta Amrillah, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer at UNAIR’s Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplines and a Taiwanese university alumnus, shared his experience of studying in Taiwan. He praised Taiwan’s well-equipped research facilities, which he said enable high-quality and effective research.

He further explained that one of his projects required testing with specialized equipment at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC). “Therefore, collaboration with Taiwan is highly beneficial for Indonesian academics to produce high-quality and impactful research,” he said.

Author: Muhammad Naqsya Riwansia

Editor: Edwin Fatahuddin 

Source : https://unair.ac.id/en/fostering-research-collaboration-unair-initiates-discussion-with-taiwan-alumni/