Gadjah Mada and Groningen agree to develop a collaboration hub

On 31 October, a delegation from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), led by Rector Prof. Ova Emilia, visited the University of Groningen (UG). In a series of meetings, the Rector and the Deans and Vice-Deans of the Faculties of Law, Cultural Sciences, Philosophy, and Agricultural Sciences, met with UG President Prof. Jouke de Vries, Academic Ambassador Southeast Asia Prof. Bayu Jayawardhana, and with representatives of UG’s Schools for Science & Society, faculties and central management.

The visit of UGM to Groningen was a next step in the comprehensive strategic partnership between both universities. Central to the discussions was the development of a joint Hub for the Future of Human Welfare, with as its main aim to co-create sustainable innovations and solutions to pursue future human welfare from the pillars of education, research, and community outreach. In the Hub, focus will be on the following themes:

• Liveable Cities
• Adaptive Natural Resources Management
• Sustainable Entrepreneurship
• Equitable Global Health
• Accelerated Energy Transition

During the visit, special attention was paid to the importance of alumni in the collaboration, like the 27 UG alumni currently lecturing at UGM, as well as the 20 UGM alumni currently studying for an academic degree in UG. The latter group attended the concluding meeting, where UGM’s Rector and UG’s President signed agreements toward the launch of the Hub (from the academic year 2024-25 onwards), and to establish a joint Double Doctorate Framework for jointly supervised PhD projects.

Contact at ISR: Tim Zwaagstra.