Nusantara — Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) continues to expand its impactful international network through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International School of Urban Sciences (ISUS), University of Seoul (UOS), South Korea, during an academic cooperation facilitation meeting organized by the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) on Monday, July 13, 2026, at the Echelon I Meeting Room, 4th Floor, Tower 2, Coordinating Ministry Office 3.

The event was part of the implementation of the Smart City Cooperation Center (SCCC) program, funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MoLIT) of the Republic of Korea. The program is aimed at strengthening collaboration in the fields of smart city development, sustainable urban development, collaborative research, academic exchange, joint seminars, and regional capacity building. For ITK, this momentum marks a strategic step in reinforcing the university’s role as an active academic partner in supporting the development of the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem in the Nusantara Capital City area.

The MoU was signed by ITK Rector, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Agus Rubiyanto, M.Eng.Sc., accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Information Technology (FSTI), the Dean of the Faculty of Planning and Business (FPB), the Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Technology (FRTI), and the Coordinator of the International Office Center. The presence of ITK’s leadership in this forum demonstrates the institution’s commitment to building international collaboration that goes beyond ceremonial partnership and is instead directed toward concrete actions that bring benefits to higher education development and national strategic areas.

In addition to ITK, the MoU signing also involved Mulawarman University (Unmul), Samarinda State Polytechnic (Polnes), and Balikpapan University (Uniba). Mulawarman University was represented by the Vice Rector for Planning, Cooperation, and Public Relations, the Vice Rector for Human Resources, General Affairs, and Finance, as well as the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs. Also in attendance were the Director of Samarinda State Polytechnic and the Rector of Balikpapan University. The involvement of several higher education institutions from East Kalimantan underscores that the development of the Nusantara Capital City requires broad, cross-institutional synergy connected to global networks.

The partnership between ITK and the University of Seoul is particularly significant because it connects a university located in the supporting region of the Nusantara Capital City with an international institution that has expertise in urban sciences and the development of future cities. Through this collaboration, opportunities to strengthen joint research, knowledge exchange, academic capacity development, and cooperation in strategic urban development themes are becoming increasingly open. In other words, this partnership not only expands ITK’s international network, but also strengthens the university’s position in responding to the needs of Nusantara’s development in a more relevant and impactful way.

More importantly, the signing of this MoU reflects a new direction for higher education, one that increasingly emphasizes the importance of global collaboration with local impact. Amid the development of the Nusantara Capital City as Indonesia’s future strategic area, universities are expected to act not only as centers of learning, but also as hubs of ideas, research, innovation, and solutions. In this context, ITK takes on an important role as a technology-focused university in Kalimantan that is capable of bridging regional needs with global knowledge networks.

Through this cooperation framework, it is hoped that various joint initiatives will emerge to support the strengthening of the higher education, research, and innovation ecosystem in the Nusantara Capital City area. The collaboration between ITK and the University of Seoul is expected to serve as an entry point for broader and more sustainable partnerships, while also demonstrating that international cooperation can bring real impact to regional development, institutional capacity building, and the improvement of human resources.

This step affirms that, for ITK, global cooperation is not merely about expanding networks, but rather part of a broader effort to deliver higher education that is relevant, adaptive, and impactful for Kalimantan, Nusantara, and Indonesia’s future.