UBD Mobility Programme Strengthens Academic Networks and Borneo Studies
Prof. Dr. Sri Haryaningsih, Vice IV of the Association of State Administration Scientists (AsIAN), stated that the Mobility Programme at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) serves as a momentum to strengthen academic networks and cross-border collaboration in studying the various issues and potential of the Borneo region.
Sri, who is also an academic at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Tanjungpura University (UNTAN) Pontianak, noted in Pontianak on Friday that the successful programme provides a platform to examine strategic regional issues. The programme brought together academics and students from several higher education institutions, including UNTAN Pontianak, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Politeknik Negeri Pontianak (POLNEP), and the AsIAN West Kalimantan Regional Coordinator.
According to Sri, the exchange of ideas through this academic mobility programme is expected to serve as a foundation for developing cooperation in education, research, scientific publication, community service, and policy studies. She explained that Borneo possesses interconnected geographical, social, cultural, and economic characteristics, with the island administratively divided between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam.
This condition, she noted, makes cross-border academic cooperation increasingly relevant, as issues in one territory can be linked to dynamics in another. Therefore, a ‘Borneo Study Issue’ approach is essential to build a shared perspective on the region’s challenges and potential. Such studies could encompass various issues, ranging from border area development, education, socio-culture, and economy to the environment, governance, and public services.
The interconnectedness of the region is also evident in the Indonesia-Malaysia land border on Borneo. The mobility of people, economic activities, and social interactions in border areas represent a reality that requires cross-disciplinary and cross-border research.
Dr. Aripin MAB, Chairman of AsIAN West Kalimantan Regional Coordinator, stated that academic mobility provides students and lecturers with the opportunity to experience international academic environments directly while expanding cooperation networks. He believes that interaction between academics and students from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Dar Malaysia can open spaces for knowledge exchange regarding education, research, governance, and community development.
“More than just a student exchange, this programme can serve as an entry point for the formation of a broader academic network,” said Aripin. He added that the relationships built through academic mobility could be sustained through joint research, lecturer and student exchanges, international seminars, scientific publications, and community service.
Meanwhile, Dr. Verdico, Vice Chairman of AsIAN West Kalimantan Regional Coordinator, added that the involvement of UNTAN, UNIMAS, POLNEP, and AsIAN West Kalimantan demonstrates the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in building the Borneo academic ecosystem. This collaboration is considered strategic because academic universities, vocational education institutions, and professional organisations each possess complementary perspectives and strengths.
“Moving forward, the Mobility Programme is expected not to stop at visits or academic experience exchanges, but to become the beginning of sustainable collaboration in developing Borneo Study Issues,” explained Verdico. Through cross-institutional and cross-border cooperation, various Borneo issues can be studied more comprehensively to produce scientific publications, policy recommendations, and cooperation models that benefit the community.
Thus, the Mobility Programme serves as an effort to build an academic bridge between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam, while simultaneously encouraging the development of scientific studies that contribute to the development of the Borneo region.