Project Leader’s message

On behalf of our team, I am delighted to announce the publication of our website, which serves as an introduction to our significant project, “Capacity Building for the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience of IPB University in Indonesia (2021-2028).”

First and foremost, I want to express our gratitude to KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) for providing essential funding for this project. Additionally, we extend our sincere appreciation to IPB University, our esteemed host institution in Indonesia, for their unwavering dedication to the success of this initiative. We view them not merely as partners but as close allies in this collaborative venture. Special thanks are also extended to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for their indispensable contributions in bringing this project to fruition.

Recognizing the critical role of education in both national and global economic growth, I would like to draw parallels with the transformative development of my home country, South Korea, particularly in the post-Korean war era. Seoul National University (SNU), with its rich history of promoting high-level education and nurturing talent, offers valuable experiences that can be shared with IPB University.

The National Instrumentation Center for Environmental Management (NICEM) of SNU, generating an annual revenue of US$ 9,000,000 from customers, has played a pivotal role in advancing agricultural and environmental sciences in Korea. The establishment of a new campus at Pyeongchang and the GBST Institute since 2009 further underscore Seoul National University’s commitment to industry-academy cooperation across various fields.

I am genuinely pleased to share the experiences of NICEM and GBST with IPB University, with the shared goal of enhancing Indonesia’s capacity in agriculture, bioscience, and environmental management. Looking ahead, we anticipate the renewal of the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between IPB University and Seoul National University this year, hopeful that this collaboration will make significant contributions to the advancement of higher education in Indonesia. Furthermore, as we celebrate the 51st anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia in 2024, I express my optimism for tangible outcomes in educational cooperation between our two nations.

Byung Chul Park

Project Leader

Professor of Applied Animal Science, Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, Seoul National University