Rawaaopakonsel.ac.id, Andoolo – The Graduate School of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) has signaled a new era of regional academic synergy following a high-level strategic dialogue with four prominent Indonesian Islamic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
The virtual meeting, held on January 19, 2026, focused on establishing a sustainable research and mobility ecosystem across Southeast Asia. Led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mutia Sobihah Abd Halim, Dean of the UniSZA Graduate School, the meeting resulted in a concrete roadmap for student exchange, joint seminars, and matching grant initiatives.
The Indonesian delegation was moderated by Prof. Ismail Suardi Wekke, Director of the Postgraduate Program at IAI Rawa Aopa Konawe Selatan, representing a broad network that includes STAI DDI Makassar, STIT Sunan Giri Bima, Universitas Muhammadiyah Bima, and the extensive Darul Dakwah Wal Irsyad (DDI) network, which oversees 12 HEIs and approximately 700 madrasahs.
Prof. Wekke emphasized that this partnership aims to move beyond ad-hoc projects. “We are building an annual forum designed to efficiently serve 20 to 30 Indonesian universities,” he stated, citing the success of the Southeast Asia Student Symposium (ISOFSEAS), which has already generated over 200 Scopus-indexed articles. “The ISOFSEAS is the instrumen for collaboration under the mobility student program,” said Ismail Suardi Wekke that appointed as reserach fellow of INTI International University (Malaysia) last week.
“This collaboration is a strategic milestone for IAI Rawa Aopa and our partner institutions in Indonesia. By aligning our research agendas with UniSZA, we are not just pursuing academic credentials, but creating a bridge for our students to compete at a global level while maintaining our unique Islamic identity,” Prof. Ismail remarked during the session.
He further emphasized the operational improvements of the partnership, stating, “Alhamdulillah, we are seeing a remarkable transformation in institutional governance. Communication via WhatsApp and email with the UniSZA Graduate School is now swift and highly responsive—a far improved experience from previous years that allows us to execute our joint programs with much higher precision.”
“Our focus for 2026 is sustainability and tangible impact. Through the matching grant schemes and the series of international symposia we have planned, we are ensuring that the collaboration produces high-quality Scopus publications and fosters a genuine intellectual exchange that benefits the entire ASEAN academic community,” he added.
The collaboration has outlined a rigorous schedule for the coming year to ensure measurable academic output. The agenda begins with the activation of matching grants for collaborative research from February through November, followed closely by the ASEAN Symposium at Binus University in Jakarta, scheduled for March 31 to April 3 or the official announcement will be coming soon. These initiatives will be complemented by UniSZA student mobility programs taking place in April and August.
Furthering this momentum, the Southeast Asian Symposium on Higher Education (SEASIHE) is set to be hosted in Southeast Sulawesi from May 6 to 10. The year’s strategic activities will culminate in December with an interdisciplinary academic program held in Vietnam.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mutia introduced her newly restructured administrative team, pledging expedited processes for Letters of Intent (LoI) and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU). To support Indonesian students, the meeting discussed grouping MAIDAM scholarships and establishing MoUs with three regencies in Southeast Sulawesi—Konawe Selatan, Bombana, and Konawe—to facilitate dedicated funding channels.
The partners agreed to finalize LoI signings via an online ceremony prior to the month of Ramadan. Additionally, a promotional seminar targeting the “Sulawesi cluster” is scheduled for the near future.
The collaboration sets ambitious targets for 2026, including more than 30 new postgraduate enrollments at UniSZA and the publication of at least 20 Scopus-indexed papers. This alliance solidifies UniSZA’s standing as an innovative hub for Islamic postgraduate excellence in the ASEAN region.