UMM, Northern Illinois University Sign MoU to Advance Education and Research
- 16 Sep 2026 02:38 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang and Northern Illinois University signed an MoU to expand cooperation in education and research.
- The partnership will focus on sustainable development, including green energy, food security, environmental conservation, and water resource management.
- The Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago framed the partnership as a key milestone for educational diplomacy in the U.S. Midwest.
RRI.CO.ID, Malang - Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) have strengthened their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday, September 11, 2026. The agreement was facilitated by the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago.
UMM’s Special Advisor to the Rector for International Cooperation, Ambassador Priyo Iswanto, said the collaboration expands academic networks between UMM and NIU, while also enhancing ties between Indonesia and the United States.
“This educational partnership broadens academic synergy and strengthens cross‑border research cooperation,” he told rri.co.id.
The signing was witnessed by representatives from the Consulate, NIU leadership, deans, research center directors, Indonesianists, and Indonesian doctoral students currently studying at NIU.
The cooperation will focus on education and research supporting sustainable development. Priority areas include green energy, agriculture for food security, and environmental conservation.
As an initial step, both universities will explore technical collaboration in water resource management, combining NIU’s expertise in water treatment and quality with UMM’s role as a UNESCO Chair and Host Institution for Sustainable Water Ecosystems, a designation granted in April 2026.
NIU’s strategic research hubs, such as the Water in a Changing World Center and the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS), will serve as platforms for joint initiatives.
For the Consulate General in Chicago, the UMM‑NIU partnership represents a key element of Indonesia’s education diplomacy in the U.S. Midwest. It also marks one of the first implementations of the Statement of Mutual Cooperation (SMC) signed between Indonesia and the State of Illinois on August 7, 2026.
Through this MoU, UMM and NIU aim to build long‑term collaboration that not only strengthens institutional ties but also contributes to sustainable solutions benefiting both nations. (Diva Rifdah)
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