Jatinangor – Thursday, February 27, 2025. Several lecturers from the Faculty of Communication Sciences (Fikom) of Padjadjaran University (Unpad) conducted an international academic visit to the School of Information Science, College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The delegation, consisting of six researchers from various disciplines, departed for the neighboring country to carry out a series of scientific agendas scheduled for four days, from February 24 to 27, 2025.
The overseas visit was led by Prof. Dr. Ninis A. Damayani, M.Lib., and included other senior researchers from Fikom Unpad, namely Dr. Yunus Winoto, M.Pd., Dr. Edwin Rizal, M.Sc., Dr. Ute Lies Siti Khadijah, M.Sc., Dr. Saleha Rodiah, M.Sc., and Dr. Elnovani Lusiana, M.Sc. The delegation from Jatinangor was officially welcomed by UiTM Malaysia through a formal Letter of Acceptance signed by the Head of the Research Initiative Group (RIG), Prof. Dr. Shamila Mohamed Shuhidan.
The primary purpose of this academic visit was to implement research activities under the Academic Leadership Grant (ALG) and Unpad Lecturer Competency Research (RKDU) schemes, which were integrated with a Round Table Meeting. Through this roundtable, the two institutions agreed to facilitate deeper research collaboration and open up space for knowledge sharing in the fields of information science, communication, society, and cultural preservation.
During the roundtable, Unpad Faculty of Communication Sciences researchers brought several strategic research topics to be studied in collaboration with research partners from UiTM Malaysia. The focus of these studies included disaster mitigation in West Java, pentahelix synergy in mangrove ecotourism areas, the use of documentary films for Sundanese cultural preservation, knowledge sharing models in women’s empowerment groups, and the development of an inclusion-based Community Reading Garden (TBM) model to support the SDGs.
The initiation process for this visit was structured, beginning with a permit application submitted by the Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences (Fikom) Unpad, Dr. Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, S.Sos., S.H., M.Si., in early 2025, which was then responded to positively by UiTM management. To ensure the smooth and productive running of all agendas and accommodations during the stay in Malaysia, technical coordination on the ground was entrusted to Dr. Ute Lies Siti Khadijah, M.Si., as the delegation’s primary contact.
This international visit is expected to produce high-quality research outputs, while strengthening bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between Padjadjaran University and Universiti Teknologi MARA. Through this ongoing global collaboration, Fikom Unpad remains committed to enhancing its academic contributions and expanding the impact and usefulness of lecturers’ research findings internationally.
Author: Annisa Dwi Fajriyah
