Welcome back to The Co-Lab Brief. If you missed Volume 4 on social impact and our report on Island Nations, you can read and respond to the edition here.
The Co-Lab Brief is intended to be a dialogue, which means we want to hear from you on what you think about the topics we’re exploring.
For this edition, we are exploring the following question:
Universities are often in competition with one another. In many parts of the world, where competition does arise, institutions find themselves grappling for finite resources in a variety of areas whether that be government or philanthropic funding to support research, athletic departments, community endeavors or general operations; specialized faculty who can play an outsized role in bringing in resources or elevate the prestige of the institution; and students trying to make one of the biggest choices of their careers.
For decades, universities have acknowledged the importance of collaboration, yet the structures of higher education often make it challenging to work across institutions. Beyond research partnerships, limited funding, competing demands, and insufficient staffing for cross-campus efforts constrain their ability to address shared challenges collectively.
As the challenges confronting higher education have become more pronounced, a renewed call to collaborate has gained momentum. Higher education has come to recognize that these challenges cannot truly be solved in isolation, and proceeding in siloes comes at the detriment of the social and economic success of our communities and the very learners we set out to serve.
For this edition of The Co-Lab Brief, we’re exploring partnerships and collaboration between universities around the world, from how they started to how they operate and measure outcomes, to the challenges that exist in this space.
Institutions around the world are creating incredible examples of impact and innovation. The Co-Lab@UDI is committed to highlighting these stories to showcase how universities are accelerating social transformation, advancing research and discovery, and creating new experiences for learners. If you have something we should highlight, reach out to us here.
Originally created to offer joint double-degree programs in Psychology and Communication, the partnership between UQ and UI has expanded into twinning programs in Arts, Business, Accounting, Engineering, and Computer Science, producing more than 700 graduates through a 2+2 study model spanning Indonesia and Australia.
And recently, the University of Queensland in Australia and Universitas Indonesia opened UI–UQ Collaboration Centre at UI’s newly established Science Techno Park in Depok, Jawa Barat, marking a major milestone in their 25-year partnership.
The new center, supported by UQ strategic funding and housed on the UI campus, aims to strengthen bilateral ties, enhance research and build capacity across institutions, building upon the existing learner programs already in place.
This collaboration has evolved into a living ecosystem of learning, research, and global friendship. As we inaugurate the UI–UQ Collaboration Centre, we are not only celebrating our past achievements but also paving the way for new breakthroughs in science, technology, and education. Together, UI and UQ will continue to empower scholars and communities across borders to create meaningful impact for a sustainable future.
Heri HermansyahUI Rector Professor
As climate pressures intensify, universities are forming cross-border partnerships to strengthen national resilience and prepare the next generation of water and climate professionals. Vietnam, home to more than 3,200 kilometers of coastline and highly vulnerable river-delta systems, faces rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, and land loss that threaten communities and livelihoods.
Funded through the Dutch Orange Knowledge Program (OKP) from 2019 to 2023, the Vietnam Climate–Educational Cooperation Project united Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment, Thuyloi University, and Delft University of Technology to expand higher education capacity in climate adaptation and water resource management. Together, the partners created new degree programs, short courses, and field-based learning that focus on sustainable water and delta management, particularly the river-delta and watershed systems central to Vietnam’s environment.
The collaboration emphasizes practical training, internships, and career preparation, linking education with labor market needs to ensure graduates can apply their expertise directly to real-world climate challenges.
180+
Graduates trained in water and climate programs
4 years
of collaboration supported by the Orange Knowledge Program
In some instances, crisis or dramatic landscape shifts force new models, such as the case with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, there was a radical disruption in student mobility and international education, which challenged universities to find new ways to develop intercultural learning programs in place of physical student exchange programs. Out of this disruptive moment, Kansai University in Japan used it as an opportunity to pioneer new models for virtual exchange.
Kansai University was one of the first Japanese universities to participate in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), dating back to 2014 through a partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) Collaborative Online International Learning Global Partner Network. Kansai was able to scale its COIL offerings through support from the Japanese government and expand relationships to 23 U.S. institutions, providing its students a wide array of programs to choose from.
With this foundation in place, when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered campuses and restricted international travel, Kansai was able to continue offering its cultural immersion programs through online offerings. It restructured its programs to allow more time for small group discussion and build connections with students from other institutions.
As the world emerged from the pandemic, Kansai University continued to join or lead the creation of multicultural student programs that leaned on online collaboration with the ability to include immersive experiences — called “COIL Plus” — as well.
In January, we will focus on the continent of Africa, exploring how an ecosystem of government, higher education and philanthropic organizations are developing African universities, not universities in Africa. We’re excited to release our next Co-Lab Report on Future Ready Universities: Africa as part of this pressing conversation.
How can African universities move from adapting global models to authoring futures grounded in African voices, values, and visions?
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