Untag Semarang through the Faculty of Agricultural Technology has successfully obtained an ERASMUS+ grant which was officially implemented on November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2027. This international collaboration consists of 4 universities in Europe and 7 universities in Indonesia.
This program was initiated by Diponegoro University through the establishment of the Food Consortium whose members are the University of 17 August 1945 Semarang, Tidar University, Semarang University, Muhammadiyah University of Semarang, PGRI University of Semarang and Karang Turi National University. Universities from Europe are directly coordinated by KU Leuven (Belgium) whose members are the National University of Ireland (Ireland), Universidade Catololica Portuguesa (Portugal) and Hochschule Anhalt (Germany). This funding grant comes from the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Capacity Building program with the theme “Enhancing Higher Education Capacity for Sustainable Data Driven Food Systems in Indonesia” or abbreviated as FIND4S (FIND force).
The FIND4S program will focus on developing a data-based food system through sustainable curriculum innovation and institutional strengthening to address the need for sustainable solutions in the Indonesian food sector. The Rector of Untag Semarang, Prof. Dr. Drs. Suparno, MSi said, “Untag Semarang’s involvement in international collaboration is an extraordinary step and we will always support it. Because this is in line with Untag Semarang’s vision to always be able to compete in the international arena but still based on Pancasila and Nationalism.”
The signing of the agreement was carried out on October 3, 2024, which was attended by 7 Chancellors of Universities who are members of the Food Consortium in Indonesia and Project Coordinator Prof. Jan Van Impe from KU Leuven Belgium. Meanwhile, the signing process of the Untag Semarang Grand Agreement with the European Commission was officially carried out on October 31, 2024, also indicating that the FIND4S program can officially be implemented starting November 1, 2024. Overall, this program is expected to be able to improve education standards, facilitate research collaboration, and meet industry demand through innovative degree programs and advanced training, thus positioning universities in Indonesia that are members of the FIND4S program as leaders in the field of sustainable agriculture and food technology.