UMS and UKM Malaysia Focus on Strengthening International Collaboration to Boost Global Competitiveness
In the face of global competition, higher education is no longer measured solely by the quality of learning, but also by research strength, international publication productivity, and cross-border collaboration networks. Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) is strengthening this competitive academic ecosystem through strategic partnerships with world-renowned universities.
One such effort was realised through a benchmarking visit by UMS Rector Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, accompanied by Vice Rector IV Prof. Dr. dr. Em Sutrisna, to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on Monday (6/7/2026) at Persada Canselori, Bangi, Malaysia. The UMS delegation was received directly by UKM Vice Chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr. Sufian Jusoh and other university leaders.
The meeting discussed strengthening cooperation in education, research, scientific publication, internationalisation, and human resource development, particularly in building the capacity of journal editors and reviewers. UKM itself is one of the world’s top universities, ranked 130th globally according to the QS World University Rankings.
During the discussion, it was revealed that academic collaboration between UMS and UKM has been developing consistently since 2018. To date, the two institutions have jointly produced 67 Scopus-indexed scientific publications involving 14 UMS lecturers and UKM researchers as an implementation of various memoranda of understanding. Among these academics, Prof. Agus Sudaryanto is the UMS lecturer with the highest number of collaborative publications with UKM, reaching 22 Scopus-indexed articles. This achievement reflects the strong research synergy being built by both universities.
UKM Vice Chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr. Sufian Jusoh appreciated the contribution of UMS academics in various research collaborations. He also invited UMS lecturers to join the editorial boards or serve as reviewers for scientific journals managed by UKM. Conversely, UKM lecturers are also encouraged to be involved in the management of scientific journals at UMS.
On that occasion, Sufian explained that a strong publication culture is one of the main factors enabling UKM to maintain its international reputation. Every lecturer is required to produce a minimum of four Scopus publications each year, either as first author or corresponding author. In addition, UKM applies strict standards in academic career development. Lecturers aiming for professorship or associate professorship must meet targets for h-index, number of scientific publications, and external research funding achievements. This policy is supported by a research budget allocated for each lecturer, along with active encouragement to obtain national and international research grants.
As a follow-up to the meeting, UMS and UKM agreed to expand the implementation of their cooperation through a lecture exchange programme. UKM expressed its readiness to send lecturers to teach at UMS, while also opening opportunities for UMS lecturers to become visiting lecturers at UKM.
UMS Rector Harun Joko Prayitno assessed that the benchmarking visit was an important momentum to strengthen an academic culture oriented towards quality, innovation, and global competitiveness. “UMS has gained many valuable lessons from UKM. A strong research culture, clear publication targets, an academic career development system, and success in building international networks are good practices that can inspire UMS’s development. We will continue to strengthen international collaboration, increase reputable publication productivity, and expand research cooperation so that UMS becomes more competitive at the global level,” said Harun.
According to Harun, a university’s reputation is not built in a short time, but through consistency in developing a research ecosystem, reputable publications, and sustainable international collaboration. He stressed that the partnership between UMS and UKM must be realised through various concrete programmes, not merely the signing of memoranda of understanding.
“The implementation of cooperation is the main key. We want the partnership between UMS and UKM to continue producing joint publications, lecturer exchanges, research collaborations, the development of reputable journals, and human resource capacity building. In this way, both universities can grow together and make a greater contribution to the advancement of higher education in the region and the world,” Harun said. Through this benchmarking, he added, UMS hopes that the strategic relationship with UKM will grow even closer and produce more collaborative programmes that have an impact on improving the quality of education, research, and community service, while simultaneously strengthening the international reputation of both universities.