Universitas Indonesia (UI) welcomed representatives from Yuan Ze University (YZU), Taiwan, for a focused meeting aimed at enhancing the academic partnership and exploring concrete collaboration under the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions.
The delegation from Yuan Ze University included:
Dr. Yun-Chia Liang, Chief of the Global Affairs Office
Dr. Panca Jodiawan, Assistant Professor
Billy Ngaliman, Ph.D. Student
Representing Universitas Indonesia were:
Fadhilah Muslim, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., DIC, Director for Internationalization of Education
Dr. Muthia Pramesti, S.E., M.M., Assistant Director of International Education Program Development and Partnership
Dr. Fadhilah opened the meeting by introducing Universitas Indonesia, which comprises 14 faculties, two graduate schools, and one vocational education program. She emphasized UI’s longstanding commitment to academic excellence and international collaboration. She also acknowledged that while UI and YZU have had a formal agreement in place since the previous year, no specific programs or activities have yet been implemented under this collaboration.
Dr. Yun-Chia Liang, Chief of the Global Affairs Office at YZU, inquired about the need for a separate agreement to initiate student exchange programs. He also raised questions about the ideal duration of exchange programs, whether they should span a single semester or a full academic year. These matters were noted for further discussion and mutual alignment.
Dr. Yun-Chia presented an overview of Yuan Ze University, which was founded by the Far Eastern Group and initially established as the Yuan Ze Institute of Technology. The university is known for its corporate-rooted foundation and educational approach, offering flexible academic structures, innovative teaching, and a bilingual, cross-disciplinary learning environment.
YZU currently operates 20 undergraduate programs, 21 master’s programs, and 10 doctoral programs, supported by 9 active research centers. Its academic strengths span engineering, electrical and communications engineering, informatics, management, humanities, and social sciences.
Highlighting its international profile, YZU has over 300 partnerships and 498 active agreements with institutions in more than 40 countries. It offers 61 dual-degree programs, 142 student exchange programs, and organizes global activities such as the MIT-YZU Summer Camp and international internship opportunities.
Dr. Yun-Chia also shared that YZU supports a diverse and inclusive campus environment, including Muslim-friendly facilities and halal-certified dining options at the university cafeteria. He added that YZU offers non-degree scholarships, primarily in the form of tuition fee waivers, to attract international students.
In terms of academic innovation, Dr. Yun-Chia introduced YZU’s specialized programs in semiconductor technology and expressed interest in expanding international collaboration in this critical area.
Regarding internships, Dr. Yun-Chia proposed a hybrid program model in which students would spend approximately one week in a university laboratory and four to five weeks in an industry placement. Dr. Fadhilah responded positively, expressing UI’s openness to such a model, subject to further administrative discussions and alignment between both universities.
The meeting concluded with both parties expressing a strong desire to activate their partnership through student exchanges, joint programs, and research collaborations, with follow-up steps to be taken in the coming months.
Photo Credit: Directorate for Internationalization of Education
