Dutch Embassy Shares Experience and Research at Unhas

The triple helix approach serves as the key to integrating the roles of universities, industry, and government in driving innovation. Makassar (ANTARA) - Yvonne Klerks, Education and Science Counsellor at the Royal Netherlands Embassy, shared experiences in education and research during a public lecture at the Senate Room of Hasanuddin University (Unhas), Makassar, on Friday. In her presentation, Klerks highlighted how the Netherlands has built a higher education and research system integrated with global needs. Despite being geographically relatively small, she said, the Netherlands has become one of the world’s innovation hubs through strengthening collaboration between universities, industry, and government. Klerks revealed that the Dutch higher education system consists of two main tracks: research universities and universities of applied sciences. Both systems are designed to complement each other, where academic research is developed in line with practical needs in the field. “Our role is to ensure strong connectivity between institutions, so that research and education collaboration can run effectively and have real impact,” she explained at the public lecture titled “Indonesia–Netherlands Relations on Higher Education and Science”. Furthermore, Klerks elaborated on various collaboration platforms that can be utilised by students and academics, such as the Indonesia–Netherlands Knowledge House, which brings together universities from both countries. In the field of research, she explained opportunities for joint funding between the Netherlands and Indonesia, including through collaborations with institutions like LPDP and NWO. Research focuses are directed towards strategic global issues, such as the blue economy, food security, and environmental sustainability. For Unhas, international collaborations like those established with the Netherlands are an important part in strengthening the quality of education and research. Rector Prof Jamaluddin Jompa explained that Unhas continues to promote collaboration with strategic partners to drive synergy that is not only academic but also contributes to the development of impactful innovation. “Unhas continues to enhance the international competitiveness of its graduates. One concrete step targeted is to ensure all Unhas students have global-standard English language competencies,” said Prof JJ.