Life Sciences professors visit Bogor Agricultural University in Indonesia
The partnership between the Faculty of Life Sciences of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and the Bogor Agricultural University of Indonesia (IPB) continues to grow: last week Professor Dr Matthias Kleinke, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, and Dr Joachim Fensterle, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, both visited IPB to learn first-hand about their ongoing research and related infrastructure, as well as to plan new cooperative goals in teaching and research with their Indonesian colleagues.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 1 April 2016: Representatives of Faculty of Life Sciences and of Bogor Agricultural University first met in 2015. During that time, Professor Nastiti Indrasti and Dr Yandra Arkeman, researchers in IPB’s Department of Agroindustrial Technology, were on a visit to Germany to find suitable universities for future collaborative partnerships. The Department of Agroindustrial Technology is keen to bring the German Fachhochschule model of higher education to the Indonesian education landscape, establishing new institutes of technology that work closely with industry and the private sector. IPB representatives were searching for a partner to offer expert advice and support their objectives. The exceptional international character of its research and teaching made Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences an ideal candidate for IPB.
Following initial talks in autumn of 2015, representatives from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences made their reciprocal visit to IPB in Indonesia last week. Professor Dr Kleinke and Professor Dr Fensterle used the opportunity to present the University and its main research aims in greater detail. At the same time, they gathered lasting impressions of their Indonesian colleagues' research in bioenergy and agrotechnology, while also discussing potential common research goals and exchange agreements for students and teachers.
“In addition to opening new possibilities for cooperative research, our partnership with IPB in Bogor is a great opportunity for our students to gather experience in an international research environment and develop their expertise to even greater degrees,” said Professor Kleinke after returning to Kleve.
As a result, a shared Letter of Intent is now being developed in order to formalise the cooperative agreement and take the important first steps.