Enviro News Asia, Chicago — Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) have agreed to strengthen cooperation in education and research to support sustainable development, including green energy, food security and environmental conservation.
The cooperation was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the NIU campus in DeKalb, Illinois, on September 11, 2026. The signing was facilitated by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Chicago.
The agreement establishes a framework for academic and research partnerships between the two universities while providing a basis for developing more specific technical cooperation in the future.
The signing was witnessed by NIU leaders, deans, heads of research centers, Indonesianists and Indonesian students pursuing doctoral studies at the university.
The partnership will focus on education and research in areas related to sustainable development. Potential areas include green energy development, agriculture to strengthen food security, and environmental conservation.
As an initial step, UMM and NIU will explore technical cooperation in water resource management. The initiative will combine NIU’s expertise in water treatment and water quality with the university’s strategic research centers, including the Water in a Changing World Center and the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS).
UMM will contribute its experience as a UNESCO Chair and Host Institution for Sustainable Water Ecosystem, a status granted by UNESCO in April 2026.
UMM Special Advisor to the Rector for International Cooperation, Ambassador Priyo Iswanto, welcomed the partnership and said it would expand academic networks between the two universities as well as between Indonesia and the United States.
“This educational cooperation expands the academic network between UMM and NIU, as well as between Indonesia and the United States, while creating synergies between the academic strengths of the two universities,” Priyo said.
UMM and NIU also share a vision of placing student success and positive contributions to society among the important objectives of higher education. This common ground is expected to support cooperation that goes beyond academic development and produces practical benefits for communities.
For KJRI Chicago, the UMM-NIU partnership forms part of Indonesia’s educational diplomacy efforts in the Midwest region of the United States.
The cooperation also represents an early implementation of the Statement of Mutual Cooperation (SMC) signed by the Indonesian government and the State of Illinois on August 7, 2026.
The SMC encourages cooperation in education, including academic programs, scholarships, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as exchanges of innovation and technology.
UMM and NIU are expected to begin implementing the MoU next year through small-scale and practical programs. The universities will also explore opportunities to expand existing initiatives, including NIU’s Educate Global Program.
UMM has also offered scholarship and internship opportunities to support capacity building and research activities, including opportunities for young NIU faculty members pursuing doctoral studies.
Through the partnership, UMM and NIU aim to develop academic and research collaboration that connects institutional expertise with practical challenges in sustainable development while strengthening educational ties between Indonesia and the United States. (*)
