State Secretary Dell’Ambrogio on exploratory mission to Indonesia
Bern, 14.03.2016 - State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation Mauro Dell’Ambrogio is visiting Indonesia with a delegation of high-level scientists from 14-18 March. The group will travel to Java to visit several academic and research institutions. Official meetings are planned with the Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Muhammad Nasir, in Jakarta, as well as with various local authorities. Furthermore, Secretary of State Dell’Ambrogio will inaugurate the Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Surabaya.
The Swiss delegation comprises scientists from the federal institutes of technology, cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes, Agroscope and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The delegation will visit several renowned institutes such as Bogor Agricultural University – which has been working with both the ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich for several years – and the University of Indonesia, where Mr Dell’Ambrogio will hold a public conference. In Bandung, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the Bandung Institute of Technology will sign a letter of intent. This exploratory mission will conclude in Surabaya with a visit to the FORWARD applied research project, which is funded by SECO. FORWARD is the result of a successful cooperation between the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and several Indonesian universities. It aims to develop integrated strategies and technologies for waste management. Also in Surabaya, Mauro Dell’Ambrogio will inaugurate the new Honorary Consul of Switzerland.
The Republic of Indonesia has a population of approximately 250 million people spread over 13,500 islands. The country has experienced strong economic growth in recent years (5% in 2014), which is why its government has launched several initiatives to increase the quality and performance of research and development. This has made Indonesia an interesting partner for scientific and technological collaboration – a fact that was also indicated in a survey among Swiss universities conducted by the ‘Leading House’ for Southeast Asia, the ETH Zurich. As part of its international strategy to strengthen cooperation in education, research and innovation, Switzerland is interested in working with new, potentially emerging countries. SERI conducts exploratory scientific missions to find opportunities for such partnerships.
Address for enquiries
Anouk De Bast
International Relations Division
T +41 79 831 67 87
anouk.de-bast@sbfi.admin.ch
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
