PELAKITA.ID – MAKASSAR — Hasanuddin University (Unhas) is expanding its academic ties with South Korea through a partnership with the Busan Indonesia Center (BIC), aimed at advancing postgraduate education, research collaboration, knowledge exchange, and human resource development.
The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Unhas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc. and Busan Indonesia Center President Prof. Kim Soo-il at the Rector’s Meeting Room on the eighth floor of the Unhas Rectorate Building on Monday (Sept. 21).
The agreement provides a framework for both parties to develop academic and research initiatives while expanding access to knowledge, academic experience, and higher education institutions across South Korea.
For Unhas, one of the key priorities of the partnership is to strengthen the capacity of young faculty members by providing access to further study opportunities at partner universities overseas. Rector Jamaluddin said international networks would be more meaningful when they could be translated into concrete academic opportunities for the university community.
“We want to encourage young Unhas faculty members to pursue further studies through our network of international partners. We hope the Busan Indonesia Center can serve as a bridge, opening access and connecting them with partner universities in Korea, so that this collaboration can deliver tangible benefits for the development of Unhas’ human resources,” Prof. Jamaluddin said.
According to Prof. Jamaluddin, academic experience in an international higher education environment can broaden faculty members’ scholarly perspectives while creating opportunities to build wider research networks.
The relationship, he added, is expected to go beyond opportunities for further study and develop into sustained research collaboration and knowledge exchange.
BIC President Prof. Kim Soo-il said the agreement with Unhas creates broader opportunities to strengthen educational and research ties between Indonesia and South Korea. He said BIC’s network in South Korea could help connect Unhas with higher education institutions and relevant academic opportunities.
“We hope this agreement will create opportunities to build closer academic relations, expand knowledge exchange, and develop research collaborations that generate mutual benefits,” Prof. Kim said.
Following the signing of the MoU, Unhas and BIC will identify priority areas and specific programs that can be jointly developed. The agenda will include opportunities for further study, research collaboration, knowledge exchange, and stronger academic links with universities in South Korea.
The Busan Indonesia Center is an institution that facilitates relations between Indonesia and South Korea, particularly in human resource development, education, and training.
Through its network in South Korea, BIC also provides pathways for the development of higher education opportunities and academic partnerships between institutions in the two countries. (* /mir)
