L-R: Dr Mohammad Sofwan Effendi, M.Ed Director of Resources, Directorate General of Higher Education and Technology, Professor Duncan Maskell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne (UoM), Vedi Hadiz, Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor International (Indonesia) and Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Culture & Engagement).
The University of Melbourne and Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology have announced the latest addition to PRIME – a bilateral research partnership that will focus on addressing global challenges through engineering.
PRIME (Partnership in Research Indonesia and Melbourne) Engineering will commence in 2024 and bring together the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology with leading Indonesian institutions, including the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University, and the Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS).
PRIME Engineering will focus on technology implementation in Indonesia's planned new capital city, Nusantara, contributing to the realisation of the Indonesian National Research Priorities (PRN) for 2020-2024. This will include bioengineering and biomaterials, water resources, cleaner energy, and sustainable, smart, resilient and liveable cities.
Over four years, PRIME Engineering will foster joint publication writing, research product development, scientific events, and the development of post-doctoral and PhD student fellowships and programs.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Duncan Maskell, announced the partnership during his visit to Indonesia this week.
"PRIME Engineering is a brilliant example of the University of Melbourne’s commitment to engagement with Indonesian universities,” Professor Maskell said.
“Together with our Indonesian colleagues, we aim to address critical challenges through interdisciplinary research that has a positive impact on society, both in Indonesia and Australia."
PRIME, established in 2021, already incorporates two other major disciplines: health and social sciences.
PRIME Health, led by the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences in collaboration with Indonesian universities, addresses crucial aspects of primary health care, health systems, infectious diseases, and adolescent health.
PRIME Social Sciences brings together the University’s Faculty of Arts with Indonesian institutions to shed light on government responses to COVID-19 in Indonesia and resilience within civil society. The outcomes of their research carry significant implications for Indonesia, Australia, and the broader Asia Pacific region.
About PRIME
Partnership in Research Indonesia and Melbourne (PRIME) is a milestone cooperation initiative between the University of Melbourne, Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, and leading Indonesian universities. PRIME aims to foster research and academic collaboration in Health, Social Sciences, and Engineering to tackle global challenges and positively impact society.
