Written by Dr.rer.pol. Eko Agus Prasetio, ST., MBA
The symposium is an annual agenda attended by members of the Asian Management of Technology (MoT) Consortium (AMC) consisting of Japan (Yamaguchi University MoT), Indonesia (SBM-ITB), Malaysia (Universiti Mara / UiTM Technology and Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia / MJIIT UTM), Thailand (Chiang Mai University / CMU) and Vietnam (Danang University).
In this symposium, research collaboration was signed by AMC members, namely between SBM-ITB with YUMoT and CMU, and between UiTM and Danang University. Prof. Sudarso from the SBM-ITB signed this research collaboration while YUMoT was represented by Prof. Fukuyo. All of these international research project collaborations are in the ‘umbrella’ of Project-based Action Research (PBAR). SBM ITB became the principal investigator in a study titled “Opportunity and Challenge in the Implementation of Industry 4.0 in Indonesia: Case Study of Textile and Chemical Industry”. This theme will be developed in the context of other Southeast Asian countries. This research was funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education through Yamaguchi University.
The second topic led by UiTM was themed “Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development”. This general theme will be developed into more specific sub themes. Another potential research topic is “Smart City and Low Carbon Society”, which is still at the stage of submitting proposals to the Japanese Ministry of Education. In the above studies, industrial involvement is an important element that must be present.
This international research collaboration is not the only form of cooperation in the consortium. Other activities are student exchanges, course sharing, and double degree programs (which are still in process). These activities support the internationalization of SBM ITB and provide added value for student learning and research lecturers.