The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) has established a coordination office at Indonesia’s Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) in collaboration with the World University Association for Community Development (WUACD) to promote scientific, academic and research cooperation among universities across OIC member states.
COMSTECH establishes coordination office in Indonesia to strengthen scientific cooperation across OIC states
ISLAMABAD, Jun 21 (APP): The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) has established a coordination office at Indonesia’s Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) in collaboration with the World University Association for Community Development (WUACD) to promote scientific, academic and research cooperation among universities across OIC member states.
The COMSTECH-WUACD Coordination Office was inaugurated at the WUACD Secretariat in Surabaya on Sunday which will serve as a regional platform to support joint research, academic exchanges, institutional partnerships and capacity-building programmes in the fields of science, technology, higher education, innovation, health and agriculture.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, COMSTECH Coordinator General, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said that the office would facilitate research mobility, academic networking, knowledge sharing and institutional cooperation among universities in OIC countries. He said that special emphasis would be placed on creating educational opportunities and professional training programmes for students and researchers from across the Muslim world. Future collaboration, he added, will focus on water resource management, climate resilience, health sciences, emerging technologies and youth skills development.
Rector of Universitas Airlangga and President of World University Association for Community Development, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Madyan described the establishment of the coordination office as a strategic step towards expanding international academic cooperation and addressing common development challenges through science, technology and innovation. He said that the initiative would promote collaborative research projects, joint publications, faculty and student exchanges, while supporting the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence aimed at strengthening cooperation among leading universities and research institutions across OIC member states.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri welcomed the establishment of the office, saying that it would significantly strengthen scientific cooperation and research partnerships across the Muslim world. He stressed the importance of building stronger research ecosystems and enhancing scientific collaboration to address emerging global challenges, including climate change, food security, public health and technological transformation.
The ambassador also highlighted growing Pakistan-Indonesia cooperation in higher education, health sciences and vaccine development, describing scientific collaboration as a key pillar of long-term strategic development.
WUACD is an international network of universities dedicated to advancing education, research and community engagement through global academic partnerships.
The officials said that the newly established coordination office would help expand institutional cooperation and support impact-oriented programmes aligned with the development priorities of OIC member states.
