The Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), continues to expand its research collaboration network by partnering with industry. On Friday (September 19), FTUI held its first meeting with PT Nindya Karya (Persero) to explore a potential partnership in research and innovation downstreaming. The meeting took place at the FTUI Dean’s Meeting Room and was attended by FTUI leadership, including Dr.-Ing. Ir. Dalhar Susanto, Vice Dean for Resources, Ventures, and General Administration; Dr. Miktha Farid Alkadri, S.Ars., M.Ars., Secretary of the Planning, Performance Monitoring, and Education Modernization Unit; and the Research and Development team from PT Nindya Karya.
The main discussion centered on drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as the foundation for collaboration. This partnership is expected to serve as a gateway to strengthen research, foster innovation, and accelerate the downstreaming of research outputs for wider application in society and industry.
During the discussion, Dr.-Ing. Ir. Dalhar Susanto emphasized the importance of synergy between academia and industry.
“We realize that research cannot thrive in isolation without engagement with real-world practice. The university and industry need each other. Therefore, we warmly welcome PT Nindya Karya’s initiative to collaborate,” he said.
He added that the partnership would not only focus on research activities but also open opportunities for continuing study programs for PT Nindya Karya employees. He noted that master’s students participating in this collaboration could include dual affiliations—Universitas Indonesia and PT Nindya Karya—allowing their publications and patents to contribute to the company’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
From the industry side, Arum Sari, Vice President of Research and Development at PT Nindya Karya, shared the company’s current challenges.
“Our research division was established only about three years ago. We still face challenges in fostering innovation due to the gap between expectations and reality. So far, most of our publications have been internally—focused on surveys and project implementations. Through collaboration with FTUI, we hope to produce external publications and innovative research that gain academic recognition,” she explained.
Arum believes that collaboration with universities like FTUI will strengthen Nindya Karya’s research capacity and encourage the creation of new patents that can be implemented in national infrastructure projects.
FTUI Dean Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., also expressed his support for the planned collaboration.
“The partnership with PT Nindya Karya is an important step to accelerate the downstreaming of FTUI’s research innovations. We believe that synergy between academia and the national construction industry can generate research that is relevant, impactful, and directly contributes to sustainable development,” said Prof. Kemas.
The collaboration between FTUI and PT Nindya Karya reaffirms both parties’ commitment to transforming research into real-world applications. This campus–industry synergy is expected to produce innovations, patents, and high-impact publications that contribute directly to infrastructure development and Indonesia’s progress.
***
Public Communication Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
