ITS Hosts Global South Forum to Advance AI, Robotics, and EV Collaboration

RRI.CO.ID, Surabaya - The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) has positioned itself at the forefront of international scientific cooperation by hosting the 26th Meeting of the COMSATS Coordinating Council and the COMSATS-ITS Conference in Surabaya, East Java, from June 8–10, 2026.

The forum brought together delegates and leaders of scientific institutions from across the Global South to strengthen collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and electric vehicles (EVs).

ITS Rector Bambang Pramujati emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing among member countries.

“We hope to learn from technologies developed elsewhere to reinforce ITS’s research and innovation,” he said, as quoted by Antara, noting that discussions with COMSATS delegates and ambassadors have already explored opportunities in EV development and other emerging technologies.

While ITS has been part of the COMSATS network for years, Bambang acknowledged that cooperation has not yet reached its full potential. This forum, he added, serves as a turning point to establish more concrete agendas for joint research, education programs, and community engagement.

COMSATS Executive Director Muhammad Nafees Zakaria highlighted the organization’s mission, founded in 1994 by Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, to bridge scientific and technological gaps among developing nations.

“Each country has its strengths. The idea is to bring them together so we can achieve goals that would be difficult alone,” he explained. COMSATS currently connects 25 Centers of Excellence worldwide, with ITS among its members.

Zakaria stressed that annual meetings are crucial for evaluating progress and setting strategies to keep pace with rapid global technological change. “We want member states to learn, understand, and adopt new technologies so they can be used optimally,” he said.

Through this Surabaya forum, ITS and COMSATS aim to launch new collaborative initiatives that will enhance research capacity, innovation, and sustainable technology development across the Global South. ***