Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), one of the ten Indonesian universities in the FICEM Consortium (French Indonesian Consortium in Engineering and Management), led the effort to extend this esteemed partnership on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. The consortium extension meeting was hosted hybrid. The institution took a significant step in strengthening academic ties between France and Indonesia.
Formed on March 9, 2015, in Medan, the FICEM Consortium includes nine renowned engineering and management schools from Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) and ten top universities in Indonesia. As the original agreement neared its end, ITS initiated the renewal of this valuable partnership.
The renewal underscores the successful collaborations among consortium members in student mobility, research projects, and the exchange of PhD students, lecturers, and researchers. These efforts have significantly strengthened academic, research, and business links between Indonesia and France. Between 2022 and 2023, the consortium produced over 25 alumni and supported numerous research projects and joint conferences, including the Maritime Continent Fulcrum International Conference (MaCiFIC) 2022 and the International Conference on Sustainable Engineering Development and Technological Innovation (ICSEDTI) 2023.
In recognition of the consortium’s achievements, ITS proposed several vital initiatives to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Firstly, it aims to explore funding opportunities to support mobility and research programs within the network. Moreover, it also inducts more possibilities to diversify the range of programs that can be implemented. ITS suggested extending the MoU for another seven years, from 2024 to 2030.
By renewing the FICEM Consortium, ITS reaffirmed the enhancement of fruitful academic and research collaborations between leading universities in France and Indonesia.