UNAIR NEWS – Minister of Defense (Menhan) of the Republic of Indonesia Lt. Gen. TNI H. Prabowo Subianto visited Universitas Airlangga on Monday, September 6, 2021. The visit was made to establish a collaboration between UNAIR and the Ministry of Defense regarding education, research, and the development of science and technology that supports national defense.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by UNAIR Rector Prof. Dr. Mohammad Nasih, SE., MT., Ak, and Defense Minister Prabowo in the Amerta Hall of UNAIR Management Office. UNAIR Rector Prof Nasih said that so far, Kemhan has been one of UNAIR’s partners in education. So this collaboration is not a new thing.
“Our cooperation with the Minister of Defense has been effective every year. Almost every year, medical specialists (from the Minister of Defense, ed) study at UNAIR. I hope that it is not only educational cooperation but also research and other potential collaborations,” said the Rector.
On that occasion, the Rector also mentioned several advantages that UNAIR has, especially regarding health research. Its research infrastructure, Biosafety Level – 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory, is the largest laboratory in Southeast Asia. He stated that UNAIR is ready to contribute with the Ministry of Defense in developing science and technology to support national defense.
“We are ready to contribute according to the capacity we have, with maximum efforts,” said the Rector.
Defense Minister Prabowo stated the importance of science and technology in national defense. He also stated that national defense is not just a matter of one sector alone but multi-sectoral. For this reason, the Minister of Defense cooperates with the best universities in Indonesia.
“The universities are the brains of the nation. If we want to be truly independent and stand on our own feet, we need the best brains, and we need the best academics of Airlangga,” Prabowo said. Prabowo also hoped that this meeting would begin good cooperation between UNAIR and the Ministry of Defense.
For information, the cooperation meeting was also attended by several external officials, including the Rector of Indonesia Defense University, Director General of Potential Defense, Head of Infrastructure, Head of Research and Development of the Ministry of Defense, Head of Administration and Protocol Bureau, adjutant and personal secretary of the Minister of Defense, several related officials. The meeting was also attended by the vice-rectors and university officials of UNAIR. (*)
Author: Binti Q. Masruroh
