Representatives of Indonesia’s leading universities visited Polytechnic University to develop partnership

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University hosted a representative delegation from Indonesia headed by Professor Mohammad Nuh, the former Minister of Education and Culture of the country, and now Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tenth of November Institute of Technology. The visit was an important step in strengthening academic ties between Russia and Indonesia after the recent visit of the President of Indonesia to the Russian Federation.

The delegation included the heads of three prestigious Indonesian universities: Ainun Naim (Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Terbuka — the Indonesia Open University), Syafsir Akhlus (Chairman of the Academic Council of the Institute of Technology. November 10), Chanif Nurcholis (Chairman of the Academic Council of Terbuk University), Muhammad Faishol Aminuddin (Lecturer at Brawijaya University).

The negotiations, led by Ludmila Pankova, Vice Rector for Education at SPbPU, focused on five key areas of cooperation. The parties discussed the launch of academic mobility programs for students and teachers, including the «1+1» (Master’s degree) and «2+2» (bachelor’s degree) models, with special attention to teaching in English. Negotiations are underway to create joint double degree programs in engineering and IT specialties that correspond to the priorities of the Polytechnic University: system digital engineering, production automation and new materials, artificial intelligence.

«Partnership with leading universities in Indonesia is extremely important for us,» said Vice Rector Ludmila Pankova. «Out of 33,000 students at Polytechnic University, more than 5,000 are foreigners, but so far only 16 are Indonesians. We see huge potential for growth and integration of our educational models, especially in engineering and online learning. This visit sets the vector of interaction with several leading universities at once.»

The topic of online education took a special place in the negotiations. The exchange of experience between Terbuk University, a recognized leader in the field of open distance learning, with prestigious accreditations from the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), and St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, awarded 5 QS stars for online learning, played a key role here. Svetlana Kalmykova, Director of the Center for Open Education at SPbPU, and representatives of Terbuka agreed to cooperate in several strategic areas: joint development of methodologies for creating and analyzing students’ digital footprint, mutual placement of courses on leading international (Coursera, Open Education) and national platforms, pilot projects to create joint online courses in English in engineering disciplines.

This cooperation will allow SPbPU to integrate Terbuka’s unique experience in working with a mass audience (more than 500,000 students), and the Indonesian partners to adopt Russian practices in the field of integrating online courses into formal educational programs and advanced EdTech solutions developed at the Polytechnic Open Education Center.

The guests visited the advanced laboratories of SPbPU: the Robotics Center, the Laboratory of Additive Technologies, the Laboratory of Lightweight Materials and Structures. All Indonesian universities have expressed interest in signing framework agreements (Memorandum of understanding) and separate mobility agreements with SPbPU as soon as possible.

«We are grateful for the hospitality,» said Mohammad Nuh. «We are acting in line with the strategic course set by the recent visit of the President of Indonesia to Russia, and we see academic partnership as one of the key drivers for the development of our countries. The Polytech’s technological power, its advanced engineering schools, and its unique experience in digitalizing education are precisely the competencies that the Indonesian economy and higher education system urgently need.»

During the visit, the delegation also toured the historic Main building of SPbPU and talked with Indonesian university students.