The shared commitment resulted from a meeting between Indonesian Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto and Romanian Ambassador to Indonesia Dan Adrian Balanescu in Jakarta, according to a statement cited here on Friday.
Yuliarto briefed the ambassador on key research focuses Indonesia is currently pursuing, mentioning energy and food security, clean water accessibility, downstreaming efforts, digital transformation, defense strengthening, and semiconductor development.
“We are looking forward to discussing ways to strengthen collaboration between Indonesia and Romania, particularly in fields related to higher education, science, and technology,” Yuliarto said.
The minister added, “I appreciate Romania for its continuous support for Indonesia. We are convinced that our relations will grow even stronger in the future.”
He then proposed establishing joint research programs involving universities in both countries, expressing confidence in Romania’s strengths in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field.
On higher education quality, Yuliarto pointed out that doctoral degree holders currently account for only 25-30 percent of active lecturers in Indonesia.
To address that gap, he suggested developing co-funding and scholarship programs to benefit more Indonesian students.
Ambassador Balanescu welcomed Indonesia’s eagerness, saying the Romanian government places education at the center of its international cooperation in Southeast Asia.
He noted that the two countries could form a joint working group to enable more structured discussions on cooperation opportunities, with a special focus on scholarship programs, student and academic exchanges, research collaboration, and innovation initiatives.
In response, the Indonesian side conveyed its intention to optimize financing schemes to expand opportunities for students to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees at Romanian universities.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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