ITS Hosts COMSATS Forum to Strengthen Global South Research Collaboration
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) has become the host of the international forum for the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), aimed at strengthening research collaboration, artificial intelligence, robotics, and electric vehicle development among Global South nations.
“We hope to facilitate knowledge sharing. Technologies developing in other countries can serve as learning opportunities for ITS to strengthen our ongoing research and innovation,” stated the Rector of ITS, Prof. Bambang Pramujati, following the opening of The 26th Meeting of the COMSATS Coordinating Council and the COMSATS-ITS Conference in Surabaya on Monday.
The forum, held from 8–10 June 2026, brings together delegates and leaders of scientific institutions from various countries to enhance cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.
According to the Rector, ITS has held discussions with several delegates and ambassadors from COMSATS member states regarding potential technological cooperation, including the rapidly growing electric vehicle sector in several nations. He explained that ITS’s involvement in the COMSATS network has not yet reached its full potential, making this forum a pivotal moment to draft more concrete collaborative agendas for the future.
“The hope is to establish stronger cooperation to enhance research and community service. We can also collaborate on various educational programmes and other international activities,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of COMSATS, Muhammad Nafees Zakaria, noted that the organisation originated from the ideas of Pakistani Nobel Laureate in Physics, Abdus Salam, and was officially established in 1994. According to Zakaria, COMSATS was formed to bridge the gap in science and technology mastery among developing nations through collaboration and knowledge exchange.
“Every country possesses its own strengths. The fundamental idea is to gather those strengths and work together, allowing us to achieve goals that would be difficult to reach individually,” he said.
Currently, COMSATS maintains a network of 25 Centres of Excellence across various countries, with ITS serving as one of the members of this network. Zakaria added that the annual COMSATS meeting serves as a platform to evaluate organisational achievements and formulate strategic steps to face increasingly rapid global technological developments.
“The current global trend is continuous technological evolution. Therefore, we want to assist member states in learning, understanding, and adopting these technologies so they can be utilised optimally,” he remarked.
Through the forum in Surabaya, COMSATS and ITS hope to foster new collaborative initiatives that can strengthen research capacity, innovation, and technological development within the Global South.