Universitas Indonesia (UI) in collaboration with the Hungarian Embassy and Tempus Public Foundation held a meeting on Monday, November 4, at the Apung Room, UI Library, Depok. This event aims to strengthen international collaboration in education and training, attended by 10 universities from Hungary and 15 Indonesian universities, including UI. According to the University Secretary of UI, dr. Agustin Kusumayati, this meeting is a valuable opportunity to explore new collaboration paths by bringing together various backgrounds and cultures that inspire each other. As a leading university in Indonesia and one of the top 10 in Asia, UI consistently strives to expand its global collaboration network to enrich knowledge and improve student competitiveness.
This activity is divided into two matchmaking sessions. The first session brings together 10 Hungarian universities with faculties and vocational schools at UI, while the second session brings together 15 Indonesian universities with Hungarian universities to discuss and exchange views. Several Hungarian universities that participated included Budapest Metropolitan University, University of Debrecen, and University of Pécs, while from the Indonesian side, several large universities attended, such as Universitas Padjadjaran, Institut Teknologi Bandung, and Universitas Diponegoro.
According to the Consul and Diplomat of the Hungarian Embassy, Ms. Patrícia Nóra Pankovics, this event was the result of a long discussion since June 2024 and is expected to strengthen cooperation between participating universities. With this collaboration, more universities from Indonesia and Hungary can expand access to international cooperation.
Hungary also plays an active role in supporting international education through the Tempus Public Foundation, including the Study in Hungary program and the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship. Currently, 329 Indonesian students are studying at various Hungarian universities in the 2023/2024 academic year. In addition to the *matchmaking* session, this meeting presented Indonesian alumni who had studied in Hungary as part of the scholarship program.
The Hungarian Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Lilla Karsay, stated that the role of alumni is important as a cultural bridge between Indonesia and Hungary, which represents collaboration and shared commitment to support high-quality international education. According to her, the relationship between alumni and Hungary illustrates the collaborative spirit and hope to strengthen educational ties between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Drg. Baiduri Widanarko, Head of the UI International Affairs Office, hopes that this event can be a forum for dialogue and shared aspirations to strengthen international partnerships, especially in the fields of education and research. He emphasized that this meeting also shows UI’s commitment to developing global collaboration for the advancement of education and research that is beneficial to both parties.
