(from left) Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Surabaya Christopher Tjokrosetio, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia Ina Lepel, ITS Rector Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng, and ITS Vice Rector IV Bambang Pramujati ST MScEng PhD during a discussion to expand the cooperation program internationalization

ITS Campus News – The Ambassador of The Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, Ina Lepel, made her first visit to the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) campus Wednesday (21/9) afternoon. Located in ITS Rectorate Building, the meeting discussed further the broad opportunities for internationalization in Germany for ITS academicians.

The arrival of Ina Lepel who was accompanied by The Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Surabaya, Christopher Tjokrosetio, was warmly welcomed by ITS Rector Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng IPU AEng. At the beginning of the meeting, The Rector, who is familiarly called Ashari, said that since 2011 there have been many internationalization programs in Germany in which ITS students have participated. “We are excited with the opportunity to continue to extend this collaboration,” he said.

Ambassador of The Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia Ina Lepel (left) and ITS Rector Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng IPU AEng during the handing over of souvenirs

Until now, active cooperation in terms of student exchanges, joint degrees, and even research collaborations have been carried out with various partner universities in Germany. Among them are Hochschule Wismar, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, and six other universities. Even this year, at least 32 active ITS students are participating in the internationalization program in Germany.

The German Ambassador also responded positively. He said that in this pandemic era, more and more international students had the opportunity to study in Germany. Even for master’s programs, currently, there are many study programs with English as the language of instruction, so students don’t need to study German too intensely. In addition, the opportunity to conduct research for the academic community is also wide open.

Lepel also said, with the various specifications of universities in Germany, ranging from universities and technical schools to vocational programs that are free of charge by the government, it is not impossible for students from abroad to study in Germany. “In an era that greatly facilitates internationalization in the field of education, of course, Germany is very open to various student exchange programs,” he said.

ITS executive boards, The German Embassy for Indonesia, and representatives of ITS students who will be internationalized in Germany at ITS Rectorate Building

In the meeting, it was also discussed about the research collaboration that is currently being carried out by ITS lecturers and Hochschule Wismar. The Coordinator of the Joint Degree Program for the Maritime Hochschule Wismar, Dr Ing Wolfgang Busse, said that current research was being carried out related to the development of sustainable small islands which also involved ITS students.

This research collaboration also received a positive response from Lepel. He was very impressed with the direct involvement of students in supporting sustainable development. “I hope that in the future, ITS collaboration with various universities in Germany will continue to increase,” he concluded with smiling. (ITS PR)