UNDIP, Paris, France (11/9) – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) is strengthening its path toward becoming a world-class university by exploring a strategic partnership with Université Paris-Saclay, France. A meeting between the UNDIP delegation, led by Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Public Communication Wijayanto, Ph.D., and Université Paris-Saclay Vice Rector for Research Prof. Rachid Bennacer on September 7, 2026, discussed several concrete agendas, ranging from doctoral education for faculty members, double-degree programs, co-supervision, student and faculty mobility, to joint research and publications.
Université Paris-Saclay is one of France’s leading universities and ranks among the world’s top 100. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, the university is ranked 76th globally. Paris-Saclay’s strengths lie particularly in postgraduate education and its strong research ecosystem, making it highly relevant to UNDIP’s agenda to strengthen human resource capacity, research, and international academic networks.
The meeting followed ongoing communication between the two institutions, which began with a meeting in Angers, France, on July 1, 2026, and continued through several online meetings. The two universities are targeting the drafting and finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2026.
One of the strategic agendas discussed was establishing a pathway for UNDIP faculty members to pursue doctoral studies at Université Paris-Saclay. Over the next five years, UNDIP aims to send approximately four to eight faculty members each year through scholarship support, including LPDP scholarships, in both STEM and non-STEM fields.
The partnership will also focus on developing a co-supervision scheme that would allow doctoral students to receive supervision from faculty members at both Université Paris-Saclay and UNDIP. The scheme is expected not only to improve the quality of doctoral education but also to build long-term research networks among professors and research groups at the two universities.
UNDIP Vice Rector IV emphasized that the international partnerships developed by UNDIP must move beyond institutional agreements toward programs that generate measurable academic impact.
“Partnerships with world-class universities such as Université Paris-Saclay must produce concrete collaboration. Our goal is not to stop at an MoU, but to ensure that this partnership creates opportunities for faculty members to pursue doctoral studies, generates joint research and publications, strengthens student and faculty mobility, and builds sustainable academic networks,” he said.
He said internationalization is an important instrument for accelerating improvements in academic quality while strengthening UNDIP’s position in the global higher education landscape.
“To move toward the global top 500, UNDIP needs to build sustained partnerships with internationally reputable universities. What we want to build is a collaborative ecosystem: professors engaging with professors, researchers working together, students gaining international mobility, and research outcomes generating global impact and visibility,” he added.
In addition to doctoral education, the two universities discussed developing staff exchange, visiting lecturers and researchers, joint research and publications, and potential double-degree programs. UNDIP also plans to facilitate student mobility, particularly for students in the International Undergraduate Program (IUP), to participate in academic exchanges at Université Paris-Saclay and vice versa.
The UNDIP delegation also visited several research facilities and laboratories at Université Paris-Saclay. The visit provided an overview of the development of a research ecosystem integrating universities, laboratories, research centers, innovation, and industry networks.
The partnership forms part of UNDIP’s strategy to strengthen Academic Reputation, Citations, and the International Research Network (IRN) through productive and sustainable international collaboration. With the completion of the MoU and implementation of concrete programs, the UNDIP–Université Paris-Saclay partnership is expected to become one of the key drivers of UNDIP’s transformation into a world-class university with stronger academic reputation and research impact. (Public Communication/UNDIP)
