Takeaways from the 2024 Indonesia-France Joint Working Group (JWG): Strengthening Higher Education Collaboration between Jakarta and Paris

The 13th edition of the Indonesia-France Joint Working Group (JWG) took place at Surabaya State University (UNESA) from July 2 to July 5, 2024. This biennial event is a collaborative effort between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of France, aiming to enhance cooperation in the fields of Education, Research, Innovation, and Technology.

The event was attended by various governmental elements from both countries, including the Ministry of Education, the National Research and Innovation Agency, the French Ministry of Education, Campus France, and Institut Francais.

As a world-class Indonesian higher education institution, BINUS University demonstrated its strong commitment by participating in this event, particularly in forming partnerships with French universities through various internationalization programs.

Data from the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) show that BINUS University has 66 partnership documents with French higher education institutions, the third-highest in Indonesia after the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Gadjah Mada University (UGM). This underscores BINUS’s high commitment to continually enhance internationalization and become a world-class university.

This year’s JWG event was divided into three main parts. The first part included presentations on the latest developments in Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and collaboration between Indonesia and France. The second part featured thematic sessions where participants discussed current topics such as Green Economy, Blue Economy, Issues in Tourism and Gastronomy, Digital Technology and STEM, and Partnership in Research. The third part included an Education Expo and a Speed Dating session, where participants networked to establish contacts and explore further collaboration areas.

Several key points emerged from the JWG event:

  1. The number of Indonesian students studying in France remains low, with fewer than 1,000 students per year.
  2. Language, cultural, and financial factors often pose barriers.
  3. Research collaboration and partnerships between higher education institutions are good but can be further improved.
  4. The Indonesian government, through IISMA (Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards), has recently opened opportunities for student placements at three universities and six vocational campuses in France, related to IISMA’s requirement for placements at universities ranked in the top 300 worldwide.
  5. The French government, through the French Embassy in Indonesia, offers many opportunities for students to pursue their studies in France.

It is hoped that following the JWG, the collaboration between BINUS University and French universities will continue to improve, bringing greater benefits to both parties.

 

=Bahasa Indonesia=

 

Oleh-Oleh dari Joint Working Group Indonesia-Perancis 2024: Meningkatkan Kolaborasi Pendidikan Tinggi Jakarta-Paris

Joint Working Group (JWG) Indonesia-Perancis edisi ke-13 telah berlangsung di Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA) dari tanggal 2 hingga 5 Juli 2024. Kegiatan dua tahunan ini merupakan kolaborasi antara Pemerintah Republik Indonesia dan Pemerintah Republik Perancis untuk memperkuat kerjasama di bidang Pendidikan, Riset, Inovasi, dan Teknologi.

Acara ini dihadiri oleh berbagai elemen pemerintahan dari kedua negara, termasuk Kementerian Pendidikan, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, Kementerian Pendidikan Perancis, Campus France, dan Institut Francais.

Sebagai Perguruan Tinggi Indonesia Berkelas Dunia, BINUS University menunjukkan komitmen kuat dalam berpartisipasi di kegiatan ini. BINUS fokus menjalin kemitraan dengan universitas-universitas di Perancis dalam berbagai program internasionalisasi.

Data dari Kemenristekdikti menunjukkan bahwa BINUS University memiliki 66 dokumen kerjasama dengan perguruan tinggi dari Perancis, jumlah tertinggi ketiga di Indonesia setelah Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) dan Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Ini menegaskan komitmen BINUS untuk terus meningkatkan internasionalisasi dan menjadi universitas unggulan kelas dunia.

Acara JWG kali ini terbagi menjadi tiga bagian utama. Bagian pertama meliputi paparan terkait perkembangan terbaru di bidang Pendidikan Tinggi, Riset, Inovasi, dan kolaborasi antara Indonesia dan Perancis. Bagian kedua berisi sesi tematik di mana peserta mendiskusikan topik-topik terkini seperti Green Economy, Blue Economy, Issues in Tourism and Gastronomy, Digital Technology and STEM, serta Partnership in Research. Bagian ketiga adalah Education Expo dan sesi Speed Dating, di mana peserta dapat berjejaring untuk menjalin kontak dan kolaborasi lebih lanjut.

Dari acara JWG ini, beberapa hal penting yang dapat diambil adalah:

  1. Masih rendahnya jumlah mahasiswa Indonesia yang belajar di Perancis, kurang dari 1.000 orang per tahun.
  2. Kendala bahasa, budaya, dan biaya sering menjadi faktor penghambat.
  3. Kolaborasi riset dan kerjasama perguruan tinggi sudah cukup baik, namun masih dapat ditingkatkan lebih lanjut.
  4. Pemerintah Indonesia, melalui IISMA (Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards), baru membuka kesempatan penempatan mahasiswa di tiga universitas dan enam kampus vokasi di Perancis, terkait syarat penempatan kampus di ranking 300 dunia.
  5. Pemerintah Perancis melalui Kedutaan Besar Perancis di Indonesia membuka banyak kesempatan bagi mahasiswa untuk melanjutkan studi di Perancis.

Semoga pasca JWG ini, kolaborasi antara BINUS University dan universitas-universitas di Perancis semakin meningkat dan membawa manfaat yang lebih besar bagi kedua belah pihak.