On July 8, TAEF was honored to welcome Rita Pawestri Setyaningsih, the head of research collaboration section of the Research Center for Area Studies (PRW) of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Indonesia, and Yuherina Gusman, lecturer of Al Azhar University as well as a current Ph.D. student in Asia Pacific Studies of the National Chengchi University. We were also joined by their colleague, Paulus Rudolf Yuniarto, through an online webinar.
We exchanged ideas on how to connect our resources and networks to achieve common goals with the New Southbound Policy serving as a good starting point.
In her remarks, Ms. Rita highlighted that their primary work under the Research Center for Area Studies (PRW) of BRIN is to lead international knowledge production in Indonesia, particularly focusing on Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa – and Taiwan has just been added to the list under the Asia Pacific.
As PRW focuses on diaspora and international migrant issues, Dr. Alan Yang, the Executive Director of TAEF, suggested BRIN establish a research unit in Taiwan to tap into the vibrant Indonesian community here. Furthermore, he stressed that institutional setup plays a crucial role in promoting bilateral exchange.
Dr. Yang also sincerely invited BRIN to join TAEF’s core network, the Asia Engagement Consortium, to jointly forge this international grouping of top Asian think tanks and NGOs.
We concluded the meeting by inviting each other to lead a delegation to our home countries for further in-person engagement when borders reopen.
BRIN is the largest research center in Indonesia. Currently, it oversees 21 research organizations, including PRW.