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ENHANCING DATA-DRIVEN FOOD SCIENCE IN INDONESIA
The EU project “Enhancing Higher Education Capacity for Sustainable Data Driven Food Systems in Indonesia” (FIND4S) is unique in its set up: it focuses on both institutional and educational capacity building in no less than 7 Indonesian universities in Central Java.
We find Professor Jan Van Impe, the FIND4S coordinator, and his colleagues dr. Monika Polanska, dr. Simen Akkermans and dr. Satyajeet Bhonsale in a kick-off online meeting with 21 Indonesian colleagues and representatives of the 3 other cooperating EU partner universities (University College Dublin, Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, HS Anhalt).
They embark on the first day of a 7 day workshop to do exactly what the main objective of Erasmus Capacity building is: knowledge transfer and build-up of academic expertise in non-EU universities. The FIND4S project will be running for 3 years (and will inter alia result in strengthening the institutional and administrative facilities in the Indonesian Partner universities.
The alumni network of the FOOD4S Erasmus Mundus master has proved its worth. Dr. Yoga Pratama graduated from preceding Erasmus Mundus programme SEFOTECH.NUT in 2013. After 7 years in the University of Leeds and obtaining a doctoral degree, he returned to Indonesia and the University of Diponegoro to strengthen the study programmes in food engineering and technology. He pooled resources with the BioTeC+ research group at the Ghent Campus of the Faculty of Engineering Technology to spread the knowhow on data-driven food science to Indonesia.
New curricula
Various factors challenge Indonesian universities in implementing innovative degree curricula in Sustainable food systems. The project will tackle a significant improvement of food science education in the target universities by designing new curricula and upgrading existing ones, training academic staff, creating a research centre, and equipping laboratories as well as expanding the academic network of the universities involved.
In a first instance, the FIND4S project aims at modernization of existing bachelor curricula in food systems and technology, upgrading their level and organization to the desired accreditation standards, thus paving the way for graduates to enter postgraduate studies.
Moreover, in a later phase the project will focus on designing a novel and innovative Master Degree Programme in Sustainable food systems, with specific attention to integrating sustainability and environmental consciousness into the graduate curricula as well as aligning them to global food market demand.
In the long term it will thereby contribute to strong structuring impact in Indonesian higher education by dissemination of innovative teaching practices which are currently not applied due to lack of funding and expertise. The curricular design and implementation of the project with contribution of the EU partners will ensure exchange of knowledge benefiting the students, as well as participating institutions.
Including industry
“It is not only about educational programme development, the FIND4S project will be addressing the challenges that agriculture and food systems are facing globally. It will provide understanding about the threats and indicate possibilities of knowledge transfer to Indonesia by education and research. Big data, quantitative modelling and engineering tools will be used to cope with these challenges and will be directed to all stakeholders, including industry,” Prof. Van Impe explains.
And what is in it for the BioTeC+ research group and the Faculty of Engineering Technology? Also, here Prof. Van Impe is convinced: “FIND4S is not a one-way process of exporting knowledge and expertise, it is a bilateral exchange among academics globally, leading to beneficial outputs for all partners concerned. The multinational character of the BioTeC+ research group will also be reinforced by the outputs of this project”
The Indonesian partners of FIND4S are
Universitas Diponegoro (Coordinator of Indonesian HEIs)UNDIP
Universitas Nasional KarangturiUNKARTUR
Universitas Tidar - UNTIDAR
Universitas Semarang - USM
Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang - UNIMUS
Universitas PGRI SemarangUPGRIS
Universitas Tujuh Belas Agustus Semarang - UNTAG
-Hilde Lauwereys
find4s.org
https://cit.kuleuven.be/ biotec/find4s/
