The University of Indonesia (UI) welcomed the arrival of the Director of the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, Prof. Vedi R. Hadiz, at the UI Rectorate Building, on Tuesday (17/05). Arrival of Prof. Vedi aims to develop collaboration and strengthen cooperation between UI and the University of Melbourne. Present at the event, the Rector of UI, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D.; UI Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. rer. grout. Abdul Haris; Deputy Chancellor for Research and Innovation at UI, drg. Nurtami, Ph.D., Sp, OF(K); Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UI, Dr. Bondan Kanumoyoso, M. Hum.; and Deputy Dean of the UI Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Nurul Isnaeni, Ph.D.
Prof. Ari welcomed the arrival of Prof. Vedi in opening a room to talk directly about potential collaborations. “As UI alumni, Prof. Vedi is the bridge between the culture of UI and universities abroad. Because of that, This is a suitable moment to exchange thoughts to discuss possible areas of collaboration,” Said Prof. Ari in his opening remark.
Prof. Vedi is Indonesia social scientist who works as Professor of Asian Studies at Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia. Prior to that, Prof. Vedi worked as Professor of Asian Societies and Politics at Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia and as Associate Professor at Sociology Program of National University of Singapore (NUS). Prof. Vedi has ever worked as Research Fellow at Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia and was Adjunct Professor at the Department of Sociology Universitas Indonesia. The FISIP UI alumnus obtained a Ph.D. at Murdoch University in 1996.
UI and University of Melbourne has worked together in the program of Partnership in Research Indonesia and Melbourne (PRIME) in health field. The Program which has successfully carried out by UI and University of Melbourne is a reasearch with the theme of “Health System and Policy in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health during Covid-19 Pandemic”. Prof. Vedi said, “The successful implementation of PRIME in this field is a milestone that has triggered cooperation in other fields. We hope that PRIME can be expanded gradually each year. If it can be in the health sector, why not in other fields as well.”
Besides PRIME, Prof. Vedi is also offering collaboration in the implementation of the program Blended Science at UI. The program has successfully being conducted by University of Melbourne and India followed by undergraduate program students, especially those who are interested to pursue education abroad. Blended Science is suitable for students who wish to work at science company or academics based on training. This program is intended for students majoring in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) and the Faculty of Engineering. According to Prof. Vedi, if this program can be implemented in India, of course there is potential to be developed in Indonesia.
Prof. Vedi also hopes that UI can join the Humanities and Social Science Alliance, a research alliance developed by the University of Melbourne with universities in Canada, England, and India. This alliance is a research collaboration on the impact of Covid-19 on the new world order. However, the complexity of the bureaucracy sometimes becomes an obstacle for foreign academics when conducting research in Indonesia. To avoid this, foreign academics usually use Indonesian researchers to collect data. “I want to fight foreign researchers who only use Indonesian researchers as data collectors. I want Indonesian researchers to be seen as equal partners,” said Prof. vedi.
As an academic, Prof. Vedi has produced many scientific papers. His works have been published in several journals, including Prisma, Development and Change, New Political Economy, Democratization, Third World Quarterly, Pacific Review, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Critical Asian Studies, and Historical Materialism. Prof. Vedi obtained a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council in 2010 and has been a visiting researcher at Kyoto University, Japan; International Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands; and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), France.
