Events

On 6 August 2024, The NL Knowledge House held its first collaboration dialogue of the year, titled Indonesia-Netherlands Collaboration from an Indonesian Perspective. This dialogue brought together representatives from four prominent Indonesian universities—Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Universitas Islam Indonesia, and Universitas Diponegoro—to share their experiences and insights on collaborating with Dutch knowledge institutions. The universities emphasized the importance of building a strong foundation of relationships with Dutch counterparts before addressing the legalities and technicalities of collaboration.

Yvonne Klerks, the Education and Science Attaché of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Indonesia, welcomed representatives from universities across Indonesia. She highlighted that this collaboration dialogue was initiated following the recent NL Knowledge House Matchmaking event in Indonesia. Klerks also expressed a hope to align the differing objectives between Indonesian and Dutch knowledge institutions to foster more successful and impactful collaborations in the future.

Evi Eliyanah, the Co-Chair of the NL Knowledge House and the Director of the Office of International Affairs at Universitas Negeri Malang, acknowledged that academic collaboration cultures vary between countries. She noted that while some countries prefer robust individual-level cooperation and intensive mobility of students and faculty members before formal agreements are signed, differences in collaboration approaches should not be seen as a hindrance but rather as an opportunity to complement each other's strengths and develop new strategies for sustainable partnerships. An illustrative example of successful collaboration was shared by Din Wahid, a lecturer from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and an alumnus of two Dutch universities. His academic journey in the Netherlands enabled him to transform his personal network into an institutional one, thereby facilitating smoother collaboration. Universitas Islam Indonesia, represented by Wiryono Raharjo, also emphasized the value of alternative connection methods, such as Erasmus+. Given that the Netherlands is part of the European Union, participating in Erasmus+ programs involving Dutch universities could open doors to the broader European network. Abdul Rohman from Universitas Diponegoro added that universities could build on their histories and past collaborations to expand and deepen partnerships.

The four speakers acknowledged the expectations placed on Indonesian higher education institutions to establish formal, legal cooperation at the institutional level. However, drawing on their extensive experience collaborating with Dutch knowledge institutions, they highlighted the need for more sustainable, bottom-up approaches. These could include initiatives led by alumni, small-scale collaborations such as webinars, information sessions, and research exchanges involving students. Such methods would allow the foundation for collaboration to grow gradually over time.

The dialogue concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where participants discussed the relatable challenges of international partnerships. The insights shared proved valuable to many universities that plan to attend the matchmaking event in the Netherlands during the Week of Indonesia-Netherlands Education and Research (WINNER) Conference from 24–26 September 2024.

To further support matchmaking efforts, the NL Knowledge House will hold a second collaboration dialogue, this time focusing on perspectives from Dutch Knowledge Institutions. Watch the recording of this collaboration dialogue at NL Knowledge House YouTube Channel or click here.