The Faculty of Pharmacy received a visit from a delegation from the University of Groningen (UG), Tim Zwaagstra, and Liza ten Velde, on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 03.30 pm in the meeting room of the Advanced Pharmaceutical Science and Learning Center (APSLC) Building. The Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Prof. Dr. apt. Satibi, M.Si., and the Vice-Deans expressed their appreciation for their visit. They became the first in-person international guest to visit the Faculty of Pharmacy since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The afternoon meeting was a continuation of online discussions related to the collaboration between UG and the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM in Tri Dharma which has been carried out since 2021. Tim Zwaagstra, the Program Manager for Southeast Asia, said that UG and UGM have been good partners for a long time and communicate well through UG alumni who currently teach at UGM. In his presentation, he also hoped that the Faculty of Pharmacy could carry out collaborative programs with the UG Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE).
Responding to the statement, Vice-Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni Faculty of Pharmacy Dr.rer.nat. apt. Nanang Fakhrudin, M.Sc., through his presentation, explained in more detail the potential programs to be implemented together with UG. One of the proposed programs is a student exchange program for undergraduate students in the International Undergraduate Program (IUP) class and a sandwich program for the Doctor of Pharmacy Study Program students.
During a discussion with study program managers within the Faculty of Pharmacy, Policy Adviser for Internationalization at FSE UG, Liza ten Velde, also explained that UG opens opportunities for international students and researchers, including those from UGM. He added that technical matters regarding these collaborative programs would be further discussed with the directors and program managers at FSE UG.
The discussion at the meeting ended at 05.00 pm with the conclusions presented by Dr. apt. Adhyatmika, M. Biotech, lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy and alumni of UG. In the previous year, the Faculty of Pharmacy invited UG professors to be resource persons at international conferences and webinars held online. In addition, several lecturers at the Faculty of Pharmacy also took master’s and doctorate at UG. These activities are expected to begin a sustainable cooperation program between the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM and UG. (Saras)