Indonesia and Saudi Arabia Discuss Potential University Collaborations
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in Jakarta held discussions regarding potential collaborations between universities in both nations. The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, March 12, at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, was attended by Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto and Ambassador Faisal Abdullah H. Amodi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Minister Yuliarto stated, “Today, we discussed further cooperation between universities in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.” He highlighted his own personal collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), one of the leading institutions in Saudi Arabia. The minister expressed his intention to expand the Ministry’s cooperation with top universities in Saudi Arabia.
The discussions focused on potential areas for collaboration, including professor exchanges and joint research initiatives. Minister Yuliarto emphasized the importance of fostering relationships between academics from both countries, stating, “We hope that more professors in Indonesia can collaborate with professors at leading universities in Saudi Arabia, as well as more joint research programs or projects between professors there and here.”
Looking forward, the two parties agreed to reconvene after the Eid al-Fitr 2025 celebrations to further solidify the cooperation plan. Minister Yuliarto added, “His Excellency, the Ambassador, said that we will meet again to formulate more concrete cooperation with the rectors here. Then, we can later bridge the gap to cooperate with the campuses there (in Saudi Arabia).”
In addition, the minister expressed optimism that the collaboration would open opportunities for Saudi Arabian professors to serve as adjunct faculty members in Indonesia, while also allowing Indonesian students to visit Saudi universities as researchers. “Some of our students can visit as researchers at leading campuses in Saudi Arabia, which are indeed advanced,” Yuliarto remarked.
Ambassador Faisal Abdullah H. Amodi welcomed the collaboration plan, emphasizing its importance in strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of education. “Regarding today’s discussion, we spoke about education because many Indonesian students study in Saudi Arabia,” the Ambassador noted. He further acknowledged the long-standing history of educational cooperation between the two countries and expressed hope that the meeting would lead to even more robust university collaborations in the future.
“This cooperation between universities will be further strengthened in the future so that it will ultimately strengthen and contribute to the cooperative relationship between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia,” Ambassador Amodi concluded.
