Padang (UNAND) – Universitas Andalas (UNAND) continues to strengthen strategic partnerships with higher education institutions across Indonesia as part of its commitment to advancing education, research, innovation, and sustainable development. This commitment was reinforced through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Universitas Andalas and Institut Teknologi Sumatera (ITERA) at the UNAND Campus in Padang on Friday, 14 August 2026.

The MoU was signed by the Rector of ITERA, Prof. Dr. apt. Elfahmi, M.Si., and, on behalf of the Rector of Universitas Andalas, by Prof. Dr. Syukri Arief, M.Eng., Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs of UNAND.

The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Hefrizal Handra, M.Soc.Sc., Vice Rector for Finance and Asset Management of Universitas Andalas; Muhammad Makky, Director of Partnerships and Research Commercialization; and the Director of Education and Learning, together with representatives from both universities.

The partnership provides a strategic framework for strengthening the Three Pillars of Higher Education (Tridharma Perguruan Tinggi), particularly in education, collaborative research, human resource development, innovation, and the utilization of research outcomes.

One of the key areas identified for future collaboration is joint research focusing on the sustainable utilization of Sumatra’s abundant natural resources. Through complementary academic expertise and research capacities, UNAND and ITERA are expected to jointly develop innovative technologies and research-based products that can generate tangible benefits for society and industry.

The collaboration is also expected to strengthen the pathway from research to innovation and commercialization. By transforming scientific findings and local natural resources into value-added products, both universities aim to contribute to regional economic development while encouraging responsible and sustainable resource management.

Rector of ITERA, Prof. Dr. apt. Elfahmi, M.Si., expressed his expectation that the agreement would lead to productive and measurable collaboration between the two institutions.

He highlighted opportunities for researchers from UNAND and ITERA to jointly explore and optimize the potential of Sumatra’s natural resources, with the goal of developing useful innovations that may eventually be translated into commercially viable products.

Expanding Academic Pathways and Developing Future Talent

In addition to research collaboration, the partnership opens opportunities to develop an accelerated Bachelor’s–Master’s fast-track program. The initiative is expected to provide qualified students with a more efficient academic pathway toward advanced degrees while strengthening the quality and competitiveness of graduates from both institutions.

Such an initiative would also support greater academic mobility, curriculum collaboration, joint supervision, and knowledge exchange between UNAND and ITERA.

Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs of Universitas Andalas, Prof. Dr. Syukri Arief, M.Eng., welcomed the partnership and emphasized that academic collaboration should ultimately create wider opportunities for students and academic staff from both institutions.

“This partnership provides an important opportunity for UNAND and ITERA to develop more integrated academic pathways, including fast-track programs, student and lecturer mobility, joint supervision, and doctoral education. We hope the collaboration will provide our students and lecturers with broader learning experiences and stronger academic networks,” Prof. Syukri said.

He added that collaboration between the two universities could strengthen the quality of higher education in Sumatra by allowing both institutions to share academic strengths, expertise, and facilities.

“Universities today cannot develop in isolation. By connecting our academic capacities, we can create a stronger educational ecosystem in Sumatra and prepare graduates who are more adaptive, innovative, and capable of responding to future challenges,” he added.

Another important area of cooperation is the development of an accelerated doctoral pathway for ITERA lecturers through doctoral programs available at Universitas Andalas. This initiative is particularly relevant given the strong academic standing and accreditation of several doctoral programs at UNAND.

Strengthening doctoral education for academic staff is expected to enhance teaching quality, research productivity, and the institutional capacity of both universities. It will also create broader opportunities for joint supervision, collaborative publications, interdisciplinary research, and the development of new research networks across Sumatra and beyond.

According to Prof. Elfahmi, the partnership represents a shared commitment to improving the quality of higher education and maximizing the potential of Sumatra.

“As expected by the Rector of Universitas Andalas, we hope this collaboration can be implemented effectively and generate a meaningful impact on improving the quality of education at both ITERA and UNAND, while also serving as a joint effort to optimize the resources and potential available across Sumatra,” Prof. Elfahmi said.

Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Resource Sharing

Vice Rector for Finance and Asset Management of Universitas Andalas, Dr. Hefrizal Handra, M.Soc.Sc., highlighted the importance of ensuring that institutional partnerships are supported by efficient and sustainable utilization of university resources.

According to him, collaboration between UNAND and ITERA offers opportunities not only for academic cooperation but also for more effective sharing of facilities, research infrastructure, laboratories, and other institutional resources.

“A strong partnership should be translated into concrete activities and supported by efficient resource utilization. Through collaboration, universities can optimize existing facilities, infrastructure, and expertise rather than developing everything independently,” Dr. Hefrizal said.

He noted that such a collaborative approach could strengthen institutional efficiency while expanding access to high-quality academic and research facilities for lecturers, researchers, and students from both universities.

“This approach is important for building a sustainable higher education ecosystem. By sharing resources and developing joint programs, both universities can achieve greater impact while maintaining efficiency, accountability, and long-term institutional sustainability,” he added.

From Partnership Agreement to Measurable Impact

Director of Partnerships and Research Commercialization of Universitas Andalas, Dr. Muhammad Makky, emphasized that the signing of the MoU should serve as the starting point for concrete and measurable collaborative programs.

He stated that UNAND is encouraging its institutional partnerships to move beyond formal agreements by developing joint activities with clear outputs and impacts, particularly in education, research, innovation, and commercialization.

“The most important stage begins after the MoU is signed. Our priority is to translate this agreement into concrete programs involving faculties, study programs, researchers, students, and relevant external partners from both institutions,” Makky said.

He highlighted several potential areas for immediate follow-up, including joint research, joint publications, academic mobility, fast-track education, doctoral acceleration for lecturers, co-supervision, utilization of research facilities, development of innovation products, and research commercialization.

According to Makky, the geographical and academic strengths of UNAND and ITERA create significant opportunities to establish a stronger research and innovation network across Sumatra.

“Sumatra has enormous potential in agriculture, food, energy, biodiversity, natural resources, health, engineering, and other strategic sectors. By combining the expertise of UNAND and ITERA, we have an opportunity to build interdisciplinary research that does not stop at publication, but continues toward technology development, intellectual property, prototypes, industry adoption, and commercialization,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of involving government, industry, communities, and other stakeholders in future collaborative initiatives.

“University partnerships will have greater value when their outcomes can be adopted by society and industry. Therefore, we want this collaboration to develop into a broader innovation ecosystem where universities generate knowledge, industries support scaling and commercialization, government creates an enabling environment, and communities ultimately benefit from the innovation,” Makky added.

Advancing Sustainable Development through University Collaboration

For Universitas Andalas, the collaboration with ITERA reflects the university’s broader commitment to building impactful partnerships that connect education, research, innovation, and sustainable development.

The partnership contributes to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It supports SDG 4 – Quality Education through the development of fast-track academic programs, doctoral education opportunities, academic mobility, joint supervision, and strengthened learning collaboration.

Joint research, innovation development, research infrastructure sharing, and efforts to transform research outcomes into value-added and commercially viable products contribute to SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. These initiatives can strengthen university-driven innovation ecosystems and accelerate the utilization of research outcomes by industry and society.

The focus on optimizing Sumatra’s natural resources through science, technology, and responsible innovation also provides opportunities to advance SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, particularly where future collaborative projects promote sustainable resource utilization, innovation-based entrepreneurship, and new economic opportunities.

The development of shared academic and research resources also reflects the principle of efficient and sustainable institutional management, enabling both universities to expand impact through collaborative use of expertise, laboratories, infrastructure, and other strategic assets.

Most importantly, the institutional partnership between Universitas Andalas and ITERA embodies SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, highlighting the importance of inter-university collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement in addressing complex regional and national development challenges.

Through this partnership, Universitas Andalas and ITERA are expected to develop concrete joint programs that not only strengthen their academic and research capacities, but also accelerate innovation, research commercialization, human resource development, and measurable social, economic, and environmental impacts for Sumatra and Indonesia.

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